


Katniss' Kinky Cravings

by PeetasAndHerondales



Series: Peeta's Pastry Puns [2]
Category: Hunger Games (2012), Hunger Games Series - All Media Types, Hunger Games Trilogy - Suzanne Collins
Genre: F/M, Family Drama, Fluff and Smut, Humor, Parody, Sexual Humor, Smut, Song Parody
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-02-07
Updated: 2013-02-07
Packaged: 2017-11-28 12:23:35
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 10
Words: 27,351
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/674359
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PeetasAndHerondales/pseuds/PeetasAndHerondales
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Sequel to Peeta's Pastry Puns! Katniss is pregnant with Peeta's third child and her hormones are raging... Sequel: Mischievous Mellark Moments.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Frosting

_ **Katniss** _

"Can you take me to the bakery? I want a Cutiepie like you!" Peeta said.

"Oh, will you stop it with the pick-up lines already?" I snapped. I hated being pregnant. Peeta was trying to cheer me up with his corny humor but it just wasn't working. However, he knew it was only a matter of time before my hormones kicked in…and  _then_ there would be no stopping me.

"Come on, I'm just trying to cheer you up! You look absolutely gorgeous when you're pregnant, you know that? I know we said we wouldn't have any more kids, but this is the last one, I promise!" he pleaded. It was early in the morning, and I had just finished brushing my teeth after combating morning sickness in the bathroom. We were now lying in bed together and he was trying to make me feel better before I had to face the prospect of eating breakfast.

"Peeta, that's what you said last time! You  _know_  how tough pregnancies are for me. And yet you've managed to bake another bun in the oven," I replied sharply.

"We did it for Adara, remember? You agreed to it. The kids are really happy that they're having a baby sister or brother," he argued as he stroked my hair gently.

I sighed. "You're right, and we better get up," I suggested as I got out of bed, Peeta following along.

As we headed downstairs, I heard the kids already serving themselves cereal. I walked into the kitchen and sighed. Orion was spilling cheerios all over the floor. He looked up guiltily.

"Orion, pick that up, please. Adara, help your brother. Katniss, what do you want for breakfast?" Peeta asked me cheerfully. I could tell he was trying to stay positive and I was grateful for it. I didn't need to get mad at my children right now.

"Coffee is fine, thanks. Although I  _am_  craving frosting…" I trailed off. Everyone looked up and stared at me as if I had just grown and extra head. Had I said that out loud?

_ **Peeta** _

Frosting…she was craving frosting. What was I supposed to do now? This was entirely new to me. She usually craved healthy things. She usually didn't want anything except coffee, but then again, she usually freaked out after finding out that she was pregnant. This time, she had actually taken it a little better. She hadn't broken down crying or screamed at me. That was an improvement. Every pregnancy seemed to get better for her, and I was grateful for that.

"Katniss, are you okay?" I asked awkwardly as I began preparing her coffee.

"Yes, I'm fine, I just need some frosting," she answered while she headed towards the fridge and took out a container of frosting that I kept handy for desserts. She opened it, took out a spoon, and began eating it as if it were ice cream…okay…gross.

"Mommy, why are you eating sugar?" Adara asked curiously.

"Mommy's feeling a bit strange right now," I replied cautiously.

"No fair, I want some!" said Orion.

"No, Orion; it's all gone, see?" Katniss said as she showed him the now-empty container. Well that was fast.

"Here's your coffee, honey," I said as I handed her a mug. She took it and sat down to have breakfast with us.

"Hurry up, kids, it's almost time for school," she told them as they ate their cereal.

"I'll take them to school today, since you're not feeling so well." I offered.

She nodded and continued to sip her coffee as she gazed at the empty container of frosting longingly. I sighed. This was going to be another long day.

_ **Katniss** _

Peeta came back after driving the kids to school instead of going straight to work like he was supposed to. I was surprised to see him walk in. It gave me a sudden sense of déjà vu.

"I took the day off so I could take care of you," He explained before I even asked.

"You didn't have to do that, I'm fine. Go back to work, Peeta. It's not like I haven't been through this before," I reminded him.

"Yes, I know, but you're acting a bit…strange. I'll just stay with you today to make sure you're okay, and then I'll go back to work tomorrow, I promise," he argued as he walked towards me.

I sighed. "Fine, but just for today…actually, I was just going to lie down for a while, I'm starting to feel nauseous again," I added as I headed upstairs, Peeta climbing up behind me.

"It's probably because of that frosting you had for breakfast; I'm surprised it didn't make you sick," he chastised as he lay down beside me on the bed again. Being pregnant was such a pain. At least Peeta was being considerate.

I turned towards him and let him hold me as I waited for my stomach to settle down. It eventually did, but I soon began craving something else. "Peeta, you should make love to me." I smiled. For once, I was actually in the mood while I was pregnant. Maybe this was a good sign.

Peeta looked down at me in surprise. "Are you sure? You usually don't want me to touch you, except for that one time while you were expecting Orion…" he trailed off. I suddenly recalled that this wasn't the first time I felt this way. Peeta and I relished that memory.

"Yes, I'm sure," I assured him. There were some things about being pregnant that really weren't so bad…and I knew Peeta would enjoy this as much as me.

"Okay, but tell me if you begin to feel uncomfortable," he told me.

I nodded as I slid on top of him. I was suddenly grateful that he had decided to stay with me after all. He was so sweet. I straddled his waist as I leaned down to kiss him. He responded by wrapping his arms around me and began tugging off my clothes. I broke away from our kissing to slip my hand up his shirt, pulling it over his head. I then began working on his jeans as he expertly unclasped my bra. Soon, all of our clothes were left abandoned on the floor. I felt his hands running through my body as I led him inside me and took control. It was even better than last time.

"K-Katniss…I…can't…" he panted.

"Shhh" I whispered as I tangled my fingers in his hair. I was taking my time, and he couldn't take it. But this was exactly why I was the one keeping the pace;  _I_ was the one that had to be comfortable at all costs.

Finally, I felt that thing again, that thing I usually felt when we were together, but this time it was ten times more intense. My lips met his shoulder as I cried out his name. I had finally reached my climax, and I felt sweat pore down my forehead as it mixed with his. He then began to search for his own climax, as I had already reached mine, and he urged me to go faster.

"Wall," he suggested through shallow breaths.

Well, that sounded like fun, so I wasn't about to disagree. I let him pick me up, holding on to my legs as they wrapped around his waist as he stood up and held me against the wall. He thrust me steadily as his hands gripped my thighs and I moaned in pleasure. At last, he came inside me, and I collapsed on him as we landed on the bed again.

"That was amazing," he gasped as I lay on top of him, our legs tangled in each other. He pulled the covers around us and soothed me to sleep.

"Oh, but that's not even the half of it," I murmured as I fell asleep.

"Katniss…" he groaned. He had no idea what was coming. Poor Peeta… I had the feeling he would not be able to keep up with my cravings this time.


	2. Oreos

_ **Peeta** _

"No, we are  _not_ naming the baby cheese buns!" Katniss exclaimed angrily.

"But Katniss, we  _must_ maintain the Mellark family tradition of naming the baby after the mother's favored bread during the pregnancy…and yours has always been cheese buns. It's not  _my_ fault you crave bread with a funny name. I mean, at least my mother craved pita bread, and that wasn't too bad. You haven't even allowed me to pick any of the names for our children." I argued.

"Peeta, there's a reason for that! If I allowed you to name all of our children, they would get bullied at school! No, I prefer the Everdeen family tradition, in which we get named after flowers," she insisted.

"But that's for girls. The Mellark tradition is for boys. We've discussed this already. And if it's a boy, we could call him Cheesy, for short. Think about it, he would be such a ladies man! Everyone loves cheese buns, and therefore, everyone would love him." I said proudly. I stifled a laugh. She thought I was serious.

Sure enough, she glared at me. "Look Peeta, I understand that we haven't really been following our family traditions. We both agreed that Adara was a nice name because it meant fire and Dara for short meant pearl, like the one you gave me on the beach. And Orion was named like that because it meant hunter, and I craved Oreos, so you thought it was close enough to your tradition. But now I want to name my baby after a flower if it's a girl, like I suspect it will be," she explained to me with the last remnants of her patience.

"Cheese buns Mellark," I sighed dreamily. "Can we at least nickname him that? Or put it somewhere in his birth certificate?" I joked.

That was it. Her face instantly contorted in rage. "PEETA SHUT UP! WE ARE NOT NAMING IT CHEESE BUNS AND THAT'S FINAL! THIS IS WORSE THAN THE TIME MY MOTHER SAID I WAS TOO YOUNG TO HAVE A BOYFRIEND AND YOU ANNOUNCED TO THE WHOLE WORLD THAT I WAS PREGNANT!" she roared heatedly as she climbed out of bed, where we had been cuddling and discussing baby names after making love. Well, so much for that.

I frowned. "Katniss, I'm sorry. I was just joking, I swear! I won't make fun of the names you come up with anymore. I think Rose would be a cute name, like you said. We could name her Primrose, after your sister, and call her Rose for short so that it's different. I'm fine with that. And as a bonus, I won't refer to us as Peeniss anymore," I apologized quickly.

Katniss stopped in her tracks. "Wait….you called us  _what?_ " she exclaimed in disbelief as she took out the duct tape from her drawer. Oops. Maybe I had I said too much…

"No Katniss,  _please_ anything but the duct tape! It slipped out, I'm sorry! I won't do it ever again!" I yelled desperately, sitting up as she took out two pairs of handcuffs and brought them toward me with an ominous look on her face. Never mess with a pregnant woman, that's what I always say.

"Stay still, Peeta. This is just procedure." She replied eerily.

I gulped as I lay back down on the pillow and allowed her to handcuff my wrists to the headboard and place duct tape over my mouth. This would be my punishment. I would have to take it silently and obediently.

_ **Katniss** _

I put on a bathrobe and slippers, leaving Peeta naked on the bed as I headed downstairs for a snack. I wouldn't bring him back any. He didn't deserve to be pampered after angering me. As I stepped into the kitchen, I noticed that the house was mostly clean, so I wouldn't have to do much work today other than cook. But since Peeta was home, I figured I might as well let him do it. That's what he gets for not baking today, like he was supposed to, instead of annoying me. I searched through the counters and finally found Orion's Oreos. He would be livid when he noticed that we were out, but I could also blame that on Peeta skipping work today. That, and the fact that we were out of cheese buns and I had been hoping that he would bring some back today. Stupid Peeta, I would show him. I took the bag of Oreos with me as I headed back upstairs.

As I walked back into the room munching on my cookies, I heard Peeta's stomach growling. "Are you hungry, darling?" I asked carefully.

He nodded vigorously. "Well, too bad, because you still have another task for me," I informed him acidly.

His eyes widened as I put the bag of Oreos of away and approached him. He knew it was time for his punishment. I let him hair fall loose as I flipped it over my head and bent over his body. I began with his feet, letting my hair-just my hair- to tickle his skin as I traced a path that went upwards with it. He shivered as my head came closer to his hips, and I knew that this was killing him. He loved my hair, although I never quite understood his fascination with it. But now I could use it against him. I was now at his chest, and my long strands of dark hair seemed to grasp the fair curls on his chest, until finally, finally, I reached his head. It was then that I stopped, and I flipped my hair back where it belonged as I began to plant kisses on his neck, then his chin, then his eyelids, and finally his forehead. He moaned as I reached for him, but to my disappointment, he wasn't ready for me yet.

I let go of him as I looked questioningly into his imploring eyes. He seemed to be trying to tell me something. I grabbed the edge of the duct tape and ripped it off of his mouth swiftly. "OW!" he whined.

"What is it?" I asked impatiently.

"I need food so I can regain my strength." He explained weakly. "You're trying to murder me, woman. I'm out of energy; I can't keep up with you. Can you please release me so that I can go get something from the kitchen?" he pleaded.

I sighed, exasperated. "What do you need, Viagra? What happened to the energetic baker who was always ready to plunge himself into the oven? I can't believe you're tired already!" I scolded him in complaint.

He gaped at me as his eyes filled with hurt. "Katniss, we've been going at it all morning! Men can't orgasm repeatedly like women; they have to wait until we're ready again! And for your information, I don't need Viagra yet! I'm only thirty-eight years old and I am perfectly capable of recovering using only energy drinks thank-you. Now, when I turn seventy, then we'll discuss it," he said firmly.

I laughed, but released him from the handcuffs anyway. I put them away as he rubbed his wrists and put on his bathrobe before heading downstairs. I grabbed my bag of Oreos and waited.

_ **Peeta** _

This is what I get for being a good husband. I will never learn. I stay home, make love to her, try to make her laugh, and what does she do? She yells at me, tortures me, and, to top it off, injures my pride. Pregnant Katniss is worse than normal Katniss, but at least she's coping better than the past two times. Making love to her was different when she was pregnant-scary, even. I could feel her cervix, and I often panicked that I was hurting the baby, but the doctor had already assured us that it was safe. I tried to calm down as I opened up the refrigerator and made myself a sandwich while I downed an energy drink.

Feeling better, I climbed back up the stairs bravely. It wasn't that I didn't enjoy what she did to me. It was just that I enjoyed  _too_ much. I stepped into the room and shut the door behind me. Katniss had finished eating the Oreos, and she laid on her side sleepily as she waited for me.

"You need to stop eating all that junk food, it's not good for you," I told her as I laid down facing her.

"You're doing the cooking today," she replied.

"Good. You'll have the chance to eat something healthy. Do you want to do it one last time before I get up and cook?" I asked as I gently pushed aside a stray hair from her forehead.

She nodded. I noticed that she wasn't as moody as she had been the first few weeks; she was now three months pregnant, I recalled. We had an appointment this afternoon with the doctor, and he would tell us if it was a boy or a girl. "How do you want to do this?" I asked, unsure. We had to be creative with our positions.

"You can kneel while I lay on my back," she suggested. This was probably as close to missionary as I would get.

"Sounds good," I agreed as we readjusted ourselves so that we ended up in said position.

"I'm sorry I got mad at you," she apologized as we removed our bathrobes.

"It's okay, I'm sorry I made you mad," I countered. "I know your hormones are going crazy right now," I added teasingly.

She smiled as I leaned over her, careful not to put any of my weight on her as my hands splayed on either side of the bed. I bent down and kissed her lips, our tongues reuniting as she responded to me.

_ **Katniss** _

Somehow, Peeta managed to keep his balance on one arm as the other reached to cup one of my breasts. I instantly gasped; I hadn't been this sensitive for his touch since I was virgin.

"I'm sorry, did I hurt you?" he asked, suddenly worried. He knew my breasts were tenderer now, and he always worried about hurting me. But I felt nothing but pleasure.

"Oh no, keep going," I assured him eagerly as his lips trailed down to kiss my other compliant breast.

"Does this hurt?" he asked teasingly as he gently rolled one nipple between his fingers while he licked the other.

I moaned in ecstasy as he continued this game, asking me if it hurt, all the while torturing me as he nuzzled me with his tender lips.

"Oh Peeta, do that again," I would beg.

And he would suckle me and cover my amenable, soft breasts with his rough, yet warm palms. He then moved on to lay kisses on my growing abdomen as he caressed it and his skilled fingers trailed down to prepare me as they moved inside me.

I buckled involuntarily and he chuckled as he then released me so that he could put my legs over his shoulders, his hands holding them there as his mouth made a path that came closer and closer to my thighs.

And then his tongue went in  _there._ I cried out in sheer bliss as my hands grasped his lush blonde curls, trying to hold on for dear life. "I thought… we were… just going to….oh…ah…oh yes…please, Peeta!" I managed to cry out as everything inside me seemed to burst into flames and my vision abandoned me for a few seconds, turning everything black.

He finally let go of my legs and straightened up as he kneeled in front of me. His blue eyes sparkled deviously. He looked more than ready for me. I, in turn, had  _been_  ready.

"Whatever you say sweetheart, your wish is my command," he grinned as he pushed himself inside me, and, just like that, I lost myself.

"I loaf you, Peeta!" I exclaimed incomprehensively in the middle of it.

"You…what?" he asked, perplexed. He halted.

Wait…what had I just said? I had meant to say that I loved him, but that I loathed him for doing this to me, and yet I had just said…loaf? What was wrong with me? I couldn't think straight. And why had he stopped?

"Like a sandwich?" he went on, trying to interpret my meaning.

"Umm, yes…I loaf you, and together we make a sandwich…you, me, and the baby." I babbled out. What was I talking about?

He laughed so hard that I felt him go limp inside me, and just like that, he let go of me and walked out of the room, slipping on his bathrobe as he went on about he had to go cook something; he had become inspired. I sighed. At this rate, I would never be satiated. And the day wasn't even half over.


	3. Cupcakes

_ **Katniss** _

"Your name must be Katniss Everdeen, because girl, you're on fire," Peeta winked at me as he cooked.

I rolled my eyes. Of course I'm the girl on fire. "Well then, your dad must have been a baker because you sure have some nice buns," I teased as I squeezed his butt.

"As a matter of fact, he was," he chuckled.

I laughed. "Okay, well we better hurry or we'll be late to the ultrasound," I warned him as he finished up cooking. "We can eat after we get home and then go pick up the kids from school," I told him.

Peeta nodded. "Yes, you're right, we better get going," he agreed as he turned off the stove and I grabbed my purse as we headed out the door.

Outside, Peeta opened up the door for me and I stepped into the car while he shut the door and headed around to the other side. He started up the car and we were on our way.

"What do think it will be?" Peeta asked excitedly as I adjusted my seatbelt.

"I think it's going to be a girl, but I'll be happy no matter what it is as long it's healthy and strong," I replied as he squeezed my hand briefly.

"Who knows, it might be a boy. It might even be twins!" he suggested as he then ran one hand up my thigh while he clutched the steering wheel with the other. He liked to get touchy when he was driving.

"Keep both of your hands on the steering wheel, you're starting to accelerate," I warned him.

"Sorry, I'm just excited," he said nervously as he released me.

"I am too," I assured him as I stroked my abdomen. We smiled at each other.

When we arrived at the hospital, we were led into a room where our doctor was preparing everything. "All right Katniss lie down on here and pull your shirt up, please," he told me after we had greeted each other.

Peeta helped me climb up on the bed and I did as the doctor told me. The doctor took out a blue gel, warning me that it might be cold, and rubbed it on my belly. He then used the transducer and guided it around my abdomen as we all turned to look at the screen that was on the side.

"Well, take a look at this! It looks like you're having twins! Congratulations!" said the doctor, grinning at us.

I gasped in surprise as Peeta whooped and cheered and jumped up and down like a giddy little schoolgirl. "We're having twins!" he exclaimed ecstatically as he bent down and kissed me.

I blushed, and then smiled happily as the doctor tried to determine the gender of the babies.

"Oh, look! They're girls!" he finally announced.

Tears were threatening to roll down my eyes. I knew it. Adara and Orion would be so excited. I turned to look at Peeta and noticed that his eyes were gazing down at me lovingly. "We're going to have two beautiful baby girls!" I told him as I squeezed his hands.

"I know! Now we can name them Cheese and buns!" he joked.

I rolled my eyes as the doctor gave us questioning glances. He probably thought we were insane, which wasn't too far-fetched, sadly enough. "Actually, I was thinking that we could name them Primrose and Rue, that way we could call them Rose and Rue," I suggested.

"That sounds wonderful," Peeta agreed. The doctor looked relieved. We weren't terribly insane after all.

_ **Peeta** _

When we went to pick up the kids from school, we instantly told them the great news and showed them the pictures of their baby sisters as they rode in the backseat of our car. "Daddy, we're going to need a bigger car," Adara said, concerned about her little sisters' safety already. I frowned. She was right…I would have to buy a minivan. I sighed. It was only a matter of time.

"Well, we can go buy one later, we still have time," Katniss assured her.

"Where's oven?" Orion asked as he looked at the pictures.

"Yeah, Mommy, where is the oven the babies are in?" Adara asked innocently.

"It's inside Mommy," I explained quickly. Katniss glared at me.

"Mommy has oven?" Orion was confused now.

"Uh…yeah, it's a special kind of oven. It's not like the ones at the bakery, those are too big. Remember how I explained it with the donut and the breadstick?" I asked them. Katniss slapped me upside the head.

"Don't remind them!" she hissed at me.

"Yeah, I don't get it," Adara whined.

"Oh, never mind honey, it's too complicated. We'll explain it again when you're bigger, okay? All you need to know right now is that the babies are inside Mommy and they'll come out when they're big enough," Katniss explained gently.

"Yeah, they're baking like cheese buns," I added helpfully. Katniss gave me another exasperated look. Maybe I should shut up now.

"Oh, look we're home!" Katniss said cheerfully as we all piled out of the car and went inside the house. "Daddy made dinner today, go wash your hands so we can eat!" she told them as they went running into the bathroom after tossing their backpacks on the couch.

She then turned to look at me angrily. "Peeta, you need to stop explaining these things to them! They're too young! They don't need to know the details!" she seethed.

"I'm sorry, you try telling them, then! It's not my fault they're so curious! We have to tell them  _something_!" I said in defense.

"Yes, but not like that!" she retaliated.

Before I could respond, the kids ran back into the kitchen as we all sat down to eat. "I made cupcakes for dessert, so you better eat all of your veggies or you won't get one!" I told the kids.

"Yay, cupcakes!" they cheered as they dug in. I chuckled. Katniss shook her head and smiled at me. She could never get them to eat so enthusiastically when she was the one that cooked. Not that I would ever point that out to her directly…she would kill me.

"So what are their names gonna be?" Adara asked us. We told her, and she agreed that the names were pretty. She knew who Primrose and Rue were, but Orion seemed confused. We hadn't told him everything yet.

"How did they get in there, though?" she asked, pointing to Katniss' stomach curiously.

"Mommy's mouth," Orion replied.

"You ate them?" she asked Katniss, horrified. She turned to me for help. Oh,  _now_ she wanted me to talk.

"Of course not," I said calmly. "Orion, why do you say that?" I asked him sternly. I had the feeling I already knew, though. This was never going to end, was it?

"Mommy eat magic breadstick!" Orion explained between mouthfuls.

"Daddy, your breadstick is magic?" Adara asked me with wide eyes.

"I suppose you could say that. It has the magic ingredients that helps make babies, you see. But Mommy is the one that bakes them inside her special oven," I explained carefully. Katniss looked like she was going to be sick. She ran into the bathroom and started puking. Okay, I guess she  _was_ sick. I know I just told my children babies were made through oral sex, but what else was I supposed to do?

"Eww, that's nasty!" Adara wrinkled her nose in disgust.

"No it's not, because Orion is wrong, the baby doesn't get in there through Mommy's mouth…basically, we adults do strange things that you kids don't need to worry about," I declared with finality. "Now eat your dinner," I told them as Katniss came back with a scowl directed at me. I deserved it.

As soon as we had all finished our dinner, I served the cupcakes. It kept the kids entertained and made them forget about our earlier conversation as they went and watched cartons before bedtime. Katniss was still upset at me, though. Good thing I had a surprise for her.

"Katniss, I'm really sorry, okay? I said that Orion was wrong and made them stop asking questions. I know they're too little to know the truth, but I'm just trying to be creative here. Besides, I have something that might cheer you up," I said gleefully as she finished washing the dishes.

Katniss sighed. "Fine, I'm letting it go for now, but only because I have to keep my temper in check. I'm going to tuck the kids into bed now, and you can show me before we go to bed," she said.

I agreed, and, twenty minutes later, she joined me in our bedroom. I then took out a Victoria's Secret bag and handed it to her. She looked at me unbelievingly as she opened it. It was a bra. But not just any bra…a cupcake bra that was two sizes bigger than she usually wore.

"You've got to be kidding me," she said as she inspected the rhinestone-covered cupcake bra with disgust.

"Go on, model it for me." I suggested deviously as I wriggled my eyebrows at her.

She glared at me. "Peeta, just because I'm getting bigger doesn't mean you can pick out my bras. I can do that all by myself, thank you." But she tried it on anyway. Her belly was growing fast, she looked too big for three months, but I knew it was because she was carrying two babies instead of one. And the bra made her look great. Katniss didn't know how sexy she looked when she was pregnant; I just couldn't help enhancing that.

"You look delicious," I said seductively.

"I look ridiculously kinky," she protested as she took it off and tossed on a nightgown and then went downstairs to get a cupcake; apparently it made her hungry.

She came back with two and gave one to me. I accepted it, but then said, "I prefer  _your_ cupcakes, Katniss."

She blushed, but then gave me a knowing smile. "Oh, I know…I also have whipped cream," she said as she took out a container and handed it to me. "Go for it," she encouraged me as I opened up the lid.

"I can make you a bra out of this too," I said matter-of-factly.

"Well then, what are you waiting for?" she took off her nightgown. She didn't need to tell me twice. Cupcakes are my specialty. I can bake…but I can also paint.


	4. Dough

**_Katniss_ **

Four months. I was four months pregnant, and my nausea had finally ceded. It made me start singing, and, as I watched Peeta baking on the dining room table with the kids, I began to make up a song:

"Bread loaf you rise up my world like nobody else,  
the way that you toast really gets me overwhelmed,  
and when you burn on the crusts it ain't hard to tell,  
you don't know you're perfect dough! If you only had the eyes to see, you'd understand why I'm baking so desperately, right now I'm kneading you and I can't believe, you don't know, oh-oh! You don't know you're perfect dough!" I exclaimed at the top of my lungs as everyone began to laugh and sing along.

"Wait, I have another song," Peeta said as he began to sing: "Never mind I'll find some loaf like you! I wish nothing but the best, for you, food. Don't forget me, my bread, I remember you said, sometimes it lasts to bake But sometimes it burns instead, yeah, sometimes it lasts to bake but sometimes it burns instead..." he sang off-key, trailing softly at the end.

"I want to sing too!" exclaimed Adara. "And I was like baby, baby, baby loaf, like baby, baby, baby, dough, like baby, baby, baby whole meal, like baby, baby, baby bread - I thought you'd never rise, rise."

Orion giggled and tried to come up with a song too, but couldn't. "I don't gots song!" he cried miserably.

"Oh, it's okay, baby, you can still help Daddy bake; right Peeta?" I assured him, and Peeta nodded, patting Orion on the back.

"Yeah, you're just a baby," Adara teased him, sticking her tongue out at her little brother.

"Adara!" Peeta and I scolded her as Orion became angry and tried to wrestle her to the ground.

"Orion, stop that right now, you know you shouldn't wrestle with your sister; you'll end up hurting each other!" Peeta said angrily as he picked Orion up and I helped Adara to her feet.

"You and Mommy do!" Orion protested.

"Yeah, we saw you wrestling last night!"

Adara pointed out. Peeta and I exchanged nervous glances.

"Yes, but Mommy and I are big, and only adults are allowed to wrestle," Peeta answered quickly.

"But you said Mommy has to be careful 'cause of the baby!"Adara insisted as Orion nodded in agreement.

"Yes, but I was winning!" I added helpfully.

"Exactly, I was letting Mommy win; that's why she gets to be on top," Peeta said defensively. I glared at Peeta, but at least the kids had dropped the subject, and Peeta and I warned them no to repeat this to anybody. They solemnly agreed, (we asked them to do this a lot), and we continued to knead the dough as a family.

"After this, I'm going to finish up on painting the babies' room," Peeta told us. He had painted Adara and Orion's rooms with beautiful pictures of their choosing; Adara's room had a valley full of unicorns and Orion's room had an enchanted forest filled with gingerbread men and houses. What all three rooms had in common was the fact that they all had one wall with a beautiful sunset rising out of a meadow covered in dandelions. This was the part that he had to finish in the twin's room. The rest of the rooms also had glow-in-the-dark stars attached to the ceiling so that they served as nightlights resembling the evening sky. The rest of the twin's room was a large meadow filled with all sorts of flowers: roses, primroses, dandelions, tulips, rue flowers, and many more. All of them swayed beneath a painted sunny morning sky. We would start decorating the room as soon as the paint was dry.

"All right, the dough for the cookies is finished, now we just need to clean up here so that I can finish painting," Peeta said as he placed the flower-shaped cookies in the oven.

"Don't worry about it, we'll finish this and you can do that right now," I told him as the kids helped me pick everything up.

"Thanks," Peeta smiled gratefully at us as he headed eagerly upstairs to finish his project.

**_Peeta_ **

I loved painting as much as I loved baking, especially when it's for my kids, because I loved them even more. I wished that I could spend twenty-three hours a day with them and the other with my wonderful wife, Katniss. Okay, more like twelve hours for each; I mean, who needs sleep? I beamed as I painted the lush, green, grass underneath the riveting sunset dipping in it. My kids would have the most captivating rooms in all of Panem.

"It looks pretty, Daddy!" Adara told me as she walked into the room with Orion and Katniss behind her.

"Yes, it looks absolutely enchanting," Katniss added dreamily as she rubbed her stomach.

"Yay, Daddy!" Orion cheered me on as he jumped up and down excitedly. I turned around and winked at them and then continued to paint the wall. I was almost done. Just a few more strokes and it would be completely finished. I loved how it was turning out.

"Well, I'm going to eat some cookie dough, since the cookies aren't ready yet," Katniss said. "Do you kids want some?" she offered as they squealed in excitement.

"Katniss, you know that's unhealthy," I warned her.

"Oh, shush, Peeta, you're painting, remember?" she replied teasingly as she and the kids filed out of the bedroom. I sighed. Maybe if I had ripped off my shirt…no…the kids were still there. I would have to save it for later. I grinned mischievously.

**_Katniss_ **

The cookies were almost ready, but I was already full of cookie dough. The kids were hyper with it. I need to stop having so many cravings. Not that my unborn children were interested in that, but still. Just then, I heard a familiar  _ding, and took the cookies out the oven. The kids wanted to eat them right away, but I told them they were too hot. As I was saying this, Peeta walked into the kitchen and washed his hands in the sink._

"It's all done, but I don't want anyone to go in there until it's dry," he told me.

"Okay, we won't go in there, right, kids?" I said to them as they nodded their heads in unison.

"Cookies!" Orion yelped.

"Not yet, dear, do you want some milk?" I asked him as he nodded and Adara asked for some too.

"Daddy, when are you taking us to the zoo?" Adara asked Peeta apparently out of nowhere.

Peeta quirked an eyebrow and looked at me. I shrugged. "Why do you ask that, Adara? The zoo is very far away, there's only one in the Capitol." He told her patiently.

"My friend went there and saw the monkeys! I wanna see them too!" she explained.

"Me too!" Orion piped up.

"Well, I guess we can go tomorrow, since we have to buy a new car anyway," Peeta said thoughtfully.

"Really?" I asked, unconvinced.

"Sure," he grinned. The kids instantly got excited and started planning the things they were going to see when they got there. "All right, I think the cookies are cool enough to eat now," Peeta said.

"I wanna see the unicorns!" Adara exclaimed.

"Ginger men!" Orion added.

"Gingerbread men?" Peeta asked. Orion nodded happily.

"I don't think they have those at the zoo…" I trailed off. Maybe I shouldn't say anything. It might disappoint them. It would be like telling them that Santa Claus didn't exist. I shuddered at the thought.

"Well, I guess we'll have to find out when we get there," he said cheerfully as they ate their cookies.

"It's almost bedtime!" I told them as they whined in complaint.

"Sorry, but we have a big day tomorrow, and you guys need to get some rest!" I told them.

"Awww!" they protested as I went to tuck them into bed. And off we went.

**_Peeta_ **

I don't know what possessed me to tell my family that we were going to the Capitol tomorrow. Maybe I just thought that we didn't get out much, and figured that an outing would do them some good. Oh well. What was done was done, and there was no backing out now. Besides, it was time for bed. I soon heard Katniss walking into the room as she crawled into bed beside me. I touched her belly under the covers. It was starting to show a little bit more. Katniss covered my hand with hers as we shared a kiss.

"I'm so glad we're going out tomorrow; the kids are really excited," she whispered to me in the darkness of our bedroom.

"I know. I just saw no reason to object to it. It'll be a good experience for them," I replied softly as I gave her another kiss.

"Do you want to make love again? If so, we need to be quiet this time, so that the kids don't catch us," she murmured cautiously.

"Of course I do, as long as you do," I replied as I sat up and she wrapped her legs around my waist. She was now sitting on my lap, facing me, and I kissed her passionately. She didn't know how beautiful she was. The curve of her hips, the swelling of her breasts, her soft belly with our babies growing in between us, I loved it all. I groaned as she grinded against me and she moaned as began to slip off her nightgown so that I could explore the smooth skin beneath it.

"Let's do this," she gasped as she moved momentarily so that she could peel off my boxers, which were the only thing I was wearing. I don't even know why we bother with clothes anymore. They always ended up on the floor. I pulled down the elastic strip from her panties and tossed them aside along with my boxers. She adjusted herself so that she was on top of me again, but this time, I was inside her. I let her move as she wished, knowing that I shouldn't push things.

"You're so warm and moist, I love being inside you," I whispered in her ear as she shuddered and sighed.

"Oh, Peeta…" was all she could say.

"Shh, I love you," I replied, indulging myself in the way she said my name. So breathlessly, so fervently, "Oh Peeta," was one of our favorite expressions. Sometimes, it was all she could muster. It was all I wanted to hear during those times. I waited for her to climax as my lips trailed down her neck and my thumbs teased her nipples. She finally gave in and bit my shoulder to stop her self from screaming in euphoria. I soon followed her, and afterwards, we lay there on our sides, grasping each other breathlessly. My hands found every single one of her scars by memory, and I caressed them as my lips trailed after them. Finally, I kissed her belly ever-so-gently, and went to sleep holding on to her waist.

**_Katniss_ **

The next morning was chaos. It was a weekend, and, instead of getting the kids ready for school, we were getting them ready for our trip to the Capitol. We would take the train. The kids hadn't ridden in trains much, and they weren't used to it, but they were extremely enthusiastic about it. When we finally boarded it, they ran around in it until we found a compartment and had them sit with us there throughout the whole trip.

"Mommy, why can't we play in the train?" Adara asked me curiously.

"Because it will make others angry and they will end up kicking us out," I said flatly. I didn't feel so well today. Peeta and I had an amazing time last night, but afterwards I had some really awful nightmares that even made Peeta feel anxious. I tried not to think about it too much.

"We don't want to disturb the other passengers, honey," Peeta added more gently. Adara sighed and finally gave in and decided to take a nap beside her brother, who had been dozing for quite a while now. Soon, we had arrived at the Capitol. The whole place looked like a zoo, but I didn't point that to the kids, knowing that they would take it too literally. Instead, I told Peeta this, and he chuckled in agreement.

"Let's go pick out a car before we go to the zoo," he suggested. The kids groaned. I sighed. This would be such a long day. Surprisingly enough, we were done with that in an hour. I thought about telling Peeta that he couldn't just buy cars on a whim, but I later realized that he had done his research beforehand. We ended buying a dark-green minivan, and we used it to get to the zoo. The kids couldn't have been more stoked about it if they had tried.

"I wanna see the monkeys!" yelled Adara.

"I'm hungry, I wanna ginger men!" Orion cried out.

"I want some more of that cookie dough," I added thoughtfully.

Peeta turned to all of us in confusion. "Okay, well I'm thirsty, so I guess we can have a quick lunch before we go see the monkeys," he finally decided. So we did, and I even got my cookie dough for dessert, and Orion got his gingerbread man, although where Peeta found those things is beyond me. I was pretty sure my doctor would disapprove of all the unhealthy things I was craving.

" _Now can we go?" Adara asked impatiently._

"Yes, let's go," Peeta told us as we began our walk around the park.

The zoo was immense, and it took us forever to find the monkeys, but, after several breaks on my part, we finally found the strange creatures. The children were fascinated, although I all could see was that they were furry creatures more hyper than my kids. I sighed. We saw so many animals; I was surprised we hadn't run into some caged-up Mockingjays. But I soon heard their call. They flew free among the trees. I looked up and whistled four notes at them, and they mimicked me. Then, I began to sing, and the birds tried to copy that, too, but they soon they gave up and just listened. All of a sudden, everyone was staring at me, and I had an audience. They all recognized me. I stopped, and Peeta took my hand comfortingly and said, "It's not that, Katniss. It's just that when you sing, even the birds stop to listen," He smiled genuinely, and I could see in his bright blue eyes that he was really being sincere. I looked down at my kids and saw that they had been listening as well. They loved to hear me sing, but I usually only sang to them. I placed my hand on my abdomen, and  _knew. I hadn't meant to sing for the birds, I'd meant to sing for my babies. The only thing was that they took out the best of me. I smiled. Maybe being pregnant wasn't so bad after all._

**__ **


	5. Fudge

_ **Katniss** _

I remember when Peeta used to wake up before dawn to work at the bakery. He didn't do this as often anymore. Not since we started having children and he hired employees, that is. He was now free to wake up with me and help me get the kids ready for school. I liked this very much, this morning in particular. I was busy making breakfast for our family while the kids were getting dressed and Peeta was taking a shower. I had just finished cooking the bacon and eggs, when he came up behind me and caught me by surprise.

"Mmm, that smells delicious, Sweetheart," he said as I turned around to face him. His hair was wet and he was wearing nothing but a blue towel around his waist that somehow complimented his lustful azure eyes.

"Peeta, put some clothes on, the kids will be coming down any minute!" I reprimanded him.

"I will in just a second," he assured me as he stole a piece of toast from one of the plates that I had set up, and then bent down to kiss my ever-rising-five-months-pregnant-with-twins belly. It was now extremely evident that I was pregnant; I was obviously growing more than in my last two pregnancies thanks to the twins.

"Oh, Peeta, I think they just kicked!" I noted in delight as he touched my belly. I could feel butterflies at the top of my belly and then a kick somewhere lower. It was hard to tell which one was kicking me, but they hardly ever let me sleep at night; what I thought was my stomach rumbling was often just them doing summersaults inside me. That and my morning sickness hadn't exactly disappeared yet, as I had hoped it would. Not to mention the cravings…

"Oh yes, I felt that!" he replied excitedly. "All right, I'll go back upstairs and get dressed really quickly."

But I was no longer listening to him. I suddenly wanted…fudge. "Peeta, wait!" I said as I mindlessly grabbed him by the towel, which quickly became unraveled before my eyes.

"Katniss, what are you  _doing?_ " he hissed in panic as he tried to retrieve his towel before the kids came down and saw him naked.

But no one had seen him except for me. And my hormones weren't exactly stable at the moment. So without thinking, I pulled him closer and kissed him, tossing the towel aside. And to think I was only planning to ask him for some fudge.

"Ow, Katniss don't pull on it so hard!" he cried out from between our lips.

"Sorry," I said quickly, even though I wasn't. I didn't release him, and he moaned-whether from pleasure or from pain, it was hard to say.

"Oh, fuck," he grunted as I stroked him and I darted my tongue inside his mouth. "You're so sexy when you're pregnant…" he mumbled in between kisses.

"Oh, fuck!" another voice cried out behind us. I instantly released Peeta as he bent down to retrieve his towel and we both turned around to see who it was. My heart dropped.

It was Orion.

_ **Peeta** _

I tightened the towel around my waist nervously. "What did you just say, son?" I asked sternly. Katniss frowned at me. Okay so part of it was my fault, but she was the one who started it.

"You says it!" he pointed out as Adara descended down the stairs and asked what was for breakfast, unaware of what had just gone on. Maybe we should keep it that way.

"We'll talk about this later," I warned him as I left the kitchen to put some clothes on.

When I came back downstairs, everyone was already eating breakfast, so I took a seat beside Katniss and faced Orion. Katniss looked like she was going to be sick. She then ran off into the bathroom. I sighed. This wasn't going so well. "All right, kids, you both know that nothing we say inside this house should be repeated outside, right?" I began.

They nodded, but then Adara asked, "Well, I told everyone in my class that Mommy's having twins, is that okay?"

"Yes, that's fine, everyone knows about it already. I meant things that aren't as obvious," I tried to clarify.

"Like wrestling?" Orion asked.

"Yes, don't tell anybody that," I said warily.

"And Mommy's nightmares when she screams?" Adara added.

"Exactly," I nodded.

"And Mommy's puking?" said Orion.

"That's not a nice thing to talk about," I explained calmly. "And neither is talking about what you sometimes find Mommy and Daddy doing, okay?" I looked at Orion as I said this. He liked to draw. I sure hoped he never drew anything inappropriate at school. I shuddered at the thought.

"Mommy touched magic breadstick," he whispered in response. "I seen it."

Adara gasped. "What? You're going to bake more babies?" she asked me in surprise.

"No, she's already pregnant," I said uncomfortably as Katniss came back to grab a cup of coffee instead of a whole breakfast.

"I want some fudge," she said suddenly. I sighed. My whole family was crazy.

"I'll get it for you, sweetheart," I assured her anyways. I knew she wouldn't stop asking for it until she got it. Her cravings were uncontrollable any other way. The doctor had said it was fine as long as she ate healthy things too. Too bad those tended to go down the toilet. I told Katniss this, and instantly regretted it as she scowled at me. Bad idea, I should have kept that comment to myself.

"I'm trying, Peeta! You don't understand how hard it is for me to hold down food in the mornings! Do you think I want to malnourish my children?" She looked like she was about to cry, so I instantly got up and wrapped my arms around her, then kissed her forehead gently.

"I'm sorry; I shouldn't have said that," I apologized desperately. "I'll go take the kids to school and then go get you a hot fudge sundae, okay?" I said. She nodded, calmer now.

"No fair, I want some!" Adara and Orion complained.

"Sorry kids, you'll get your clothes dirty, but I'll get you some after school, okay?" I told them. They nodded eagerly, and then they kissed Katniss goodbye as we left.

_ **Katniss** _

Peeta was right, of course. I wasn't eating right. Nothing I was craving could possibly be unhealthier. But I was trying, and it wasn't my fault. I popped in my pregnancy vitamins as I pondered this. At least I was taking those, but I knew it wasn't enough. I sighed. I was a terrible mother. If only my food would stop coming up…

Just then, Peeta came back inside the house carrying groceries. I helped him set them up on the counter as I looked through them. Where was my hot fudge sundae?

"I brought the stuff needed to make the sundae, but I want you to try to eat something else first," Peeta explained as he began preparing me a turkey sandwich.

"Peeta, I throw up everything I eat. My breakfast is gone, except for that coffee I just had. I'll probably lose that sundae too. Maybe later, okay?" I suggested as I found the ice cream and hot fudge. At least it would be worth it.

"No, Katniss," he said sternly. "Every time I fulfill one of your cravings, you end up holding it down. I think it's a little too convenient."

"What are you trying to say?" I asked him, my gray eyes narrowed angrily in suspicion. "Do you actually think I do this on purpose?"

"Of course not, I know you can't help it. I just thought it might be easier for you to hold things down if you knew you were getting one of your cravings afterwards," he explained helpfully.

"Fine, I'll try, but I can't promise you anything," I said as I took the sandwich he had prepared for me and began eating it. It was delicious, of course, Peeta made the best sandwiches. He then put the rest of the groceries away and made me a hot fudge sundae, with more fruit than fudge, really.

"Shouldn't you be at work?" I asked him as he set down the bowl in front of me now that I had finished my sandwich.

"I'm not leaving until I make sure you keep something healthy in your stomach," he answered stubbornly. I rolled my eyes. Good thing he's the boss, otherwise he'd be fired by now. I told him that, and he chuckled.

He then sat in front of me and looked at me seriously as I tired to enjoy my sundae. He wouldn't add more fudge. He always ruined my fun. "Katniss, I'm just worried about our children. I want the twins to be healthy and I want you to be too. I know you're unhappy about the fact that you can no longer hunt and that you can't keep down your food, but I'll help you. We can take a walk with the kids today if you want, just near the woods, but not in them of course."

"I know Peeta, and I understand. I'm just having a hard time with this, but it's getting better," I assured him. I missed the woods so much. But my children were more important. Others had picked up the trade of hunting, and it wasn't safe for me to go alone. Some of them even did it for sport now.

"I'm also worried about Adara and Orion. They have seen and heard too much, I'm afraid they'll say something at school and we'll get a phone call from the principal or something. Not to mention the fact that we're being horrible parents and I feel awful about it. I know I shouldn't have cursed this morning or flaunted around here in a towel, but I think we both need to be more careful," he added.

"We also still need to have that talk with Orion," I reminded him. He nodded in agreement. Three-year-olds shouldn't curse. Of course, they also shouldn't walk in on their parents so much, but those things were our fault.

Peeta smiled at me as I finished my sundae. "Looks like you still have something in your stomach," he said hopefully.

"For now," I said. Just then, the phone rang, and Peeta got up to answer it.

"Hello, yes, this is Mr. Mellark," I heard him say. "Is something wrong?" his face then became paler and paler as the voice on the other side of the line spoke to him. I wondered if something had gone wrong with the bakery. I looked up at him worriedly.

" _Orion,"_ he mouthed. "Yes, I understand," he said to the person on the phone.

My eyed widened in alarm. Oh no! What had he done? And what would they do about it? Surely they couldn't take him away? I suddenly began to panic. Worse, what if something had happened to him? The suspense was killing me, but Peeta had finally hung up the phone. He stared at it thoughtfully, dismay etched upon his face.

"Well?" I asked impatiently.

He took a deep breath, and then turned to look at me. "He got in trouble for cursing in the playground, so we have to pick up him up. He's suspended for the rest of the day, but he can go back tomorrow after we talk to him, they said."

I exhaled in relief. "That's it?" I asked. I had already imagined much, much worse.

"Yes, that's it, but we still need to talk to him," he answered solemnly. So I stood up and followed him out the door. I knew that Peeta was only mad at himself, but this was my fault too. I suddenly wondered if he would ever make it to work.

_ **Peeta** _

I had been planning to go straight to work right before the phone call, but obviously that wasn't possible now. Good thing business was running smoothly as far as I was concerned. If only I could say the same thing about our personal problems.

When we arrived at the school, Orion was already waiting for us outside, and a teacher was standing beside him. She explained to us what had happened as he piled himself into the backseat of the car. Apparently he'd been making the other kids laugh by saying the f-word every time he messed up on something. She told us he probably didn't know what it meant, but she looked at us as if we were despicable parents. We probably were, but Katniss' cold gaze backed her off. Never mess with Katniss, especially when she's pregnant.

"Orion, we told you not to repeat things that you heard inside the house!" I yelled frustrated as I drove.

"Don't yell at him, he doesn't know any better!" Katniss defended him.

I tried to bite down my rage, but the tracker jacker venom was getting to me again. This hardly ever happened anymore. Katniss noticed it, and tried to calm down as we arrived home. Haymitch was waiting outside our front porch, sipping calmly from a flask in his hand. Great, just what I needed… a drunken man to witness our problems.

He grinned at us as we climbed out of the car, but was taken by surprise when Orion jumped eagerly into his arms. "Grampa Haymitch!" he exclaimed as Haymitch gave him a hug.

"Well, what do we have here?" Haymitch looked up at us in question.

"Let's go inside the house," Katniss said stiffly. I then explained the situation to Haymitch, and, amused, he agreed to help.

Once inside the living room, we all sat down in front of Orion. "Orion, baby, we need to talk about that word you said this morning, the one that starts with the f," Katniss began gently.

"Fruit?" he asked innocently.

"No," I replied.

"Flower?" he guessed.

"No, it's a dirty word that made your classmates laugh," Katniss hinted.

"Fart?" he giggled. At this point, Haymitch chuckled. Katniss and I gave him pointed looks. He shut up.

"No, the  _other_ dirty word that has to do with Mommy and Daddy doing naughty things," Haymitch prodded him. He was so dead.

"Oh, fuck!" he exclaimed cheerfully. Haymitch burst out laughing. Katniss looked like she missed her bow and arrow, and where is a rolling pin when you need one?

"Yes, that, now don't ever say it again!" Katniss said firmly.

"But it's funny," he argued, pointing at Haymitch, who looked like he was dying from laughter. Oh, how I wanted to kill him right about now.

"No, it's not. Haymitch is just drunk. And your classmates are little and don't know what it means, so they laughed. But it's a naughty word and you shouldn't repeat it," I told him, my eyes level with his.

"What's it mean?" he asked curiously.

"It's when…" I began, but Katniss cut me off.

"He meant to say fudge, but he messed up and said the naughty word instead," Katniss explained. "Don't tell him!" she then screamed at me. "He's too little! Haymitch, stop laughing, this isn't funny!" Then, in a quieter and more patient tone, she turned back to Orion, "Sweetie, you'll know when you grow up, but for now you should keep in mind that it's bad to say it. Now, I know Daddy and I do some strange things, but it's because we love each other. Nobody else needs to know what we do, though. Daddy only said that word by accident and he's very sorry, aren't you, Peeta?" she glared at me.

"Yes I am, and I won't ever say it again either," I promised him.

Now Haymitch just guffawed. "Good luck with that one," he said. Oh, it's on now.


	6. Bosco Stick

_ **Katniss** _

Six months. I'm six months pregnant with twins, and today I feel sick, tired, in pain, and just plain cranky. So when Peeta tried to get me out of bed this morning, I completely lost it. Why couldn't he just let me be?

"Peeta, go away, I'm not in the mood!" I screamed at him as I shoved him so hard that he fell out of his side of the bed. He wasn't expecting that, so he stumbled up off of the floor and glared at me, his cold blue eyes filled with pure hatred. That's when I realized that something was wrong. Peeta would never glare at me that way unless….oh, no.

I gulped. "Peeta…" I whimpered. He just stood there, glaring at me, clenching and unclenching his fists. "Peeta, I'm sorry, okay? I didn't mean to do that. Please come back to me. Those images aren't real; I wasn't actually trying to hurt you!" I said this as I sat up on the bed, with one hand held protectively around my abdomen. I was getting anxious. What if he couldn't regain his control…what if…no, Peeta would never. "Peeta, think about your children," I begged him desperately.

That's when his eyes traveled down to my swollen abdomen with confusion, and soon, his eyes filled with clarity and shock. He was back. It had worked. I exhaled a sigh in relief. "Katniss…what happened?" his voice shook with panic.

"Don't worry, nothing happened." I assured him with as much cool as I could muster. "You just had one your…panic attack episodes," I finished lamely.

His eyes widened in horror. "Oh, Katniss, I'm so sorry, I thought those were over, did I hurt you?" he began to back away from me, then, as if afraid that it would happen again. The thought of him leaving me again suddenly opened up an old wound, and, before I could control it, I burst into uncontrollable sobs. I could only remain strong for so long.

Peeta seemed torn at this reaction; he didn't know if that meant that I wanted him closer, or that I was afraid of him. But before I could even try to explain, the kids burst into our room with alarm. Today was Saturday. Our poor children would have to deal with two crazy parents for an entire day. I was inconsolable.

"Mommy, Daddy, what happened?" Adara asked as she watched me cry and noticed that Peeta wasn't doing anything about it. She ran up to me and hugged me. I held on to her tightly.

Orion ran up to Peeta and kicked him bravely in the shin. "Bad Daddy!" he yelled firmly, his little face scrunched up and red with anger. This seemed to get a reaction out of Peeta, who suddenly realized that he had to make a decision. He frowned slightly at Orion, but otherwise ignored him as he walked towards the phone on our bedside table. By this time, Orion was wrapped around Peeta's good leg, as if trying to hold him back like he usually did when he wanted candy at the store, and I couldn't help but laugh. Adara looked at me curiously as she handed me a tissue so that I could wipe my tears, but then giggled too.

Peeta just kept limping along as he grabbed the phone and Orion bit his leg. I glared at Orion and he stopped and let go of his father. Peeta dialed a number and put the phone up to his ear. "Hello? Haymitch, put down that bottle and come over here, I need your help." There was a pause as Haymitch replied. "Yes, I need you to babysit the children for the day; Katniss and I are both having… issues. There was another pause. "You know what I'm talking about. And no, I can't ask someone else to do it, Delly is out of town. I don't care that you can't get drunk today! We all have our problems. It's eight in the morning and you've already been drinking, I can tell! Fine, I'll make it up to you later. In fact, I'll just head over there with the kids right now. I'll see you in a few." He hung up.

Then he looked down at us apologetically. "All right, kids, you heard me, get ready to spend the day with Grampa Haymitch. Your mother and I can't take care of you today."

They looked up at him in protest, but didn't say anything. "Peeta, that's not true, we'll be fine; you don't have to send them in with Haymitch!" I exclaimed. Peeta only frowned at me, and the kids ran out of our room to get their things ready. This didn't usually happen often, but there were days (such as today) in which I couldn't get out of bed, and in which Peeta relapsed because of the tracker jacker venom. Those were days in which he refused to be near me, the children especially, and so he sent them in with Haymitch while he went to work. But he couldn't do this to us today. I needed him, and so did our kids.

"Peeta, you can't do this, I need you to stay close to me," my voice trembled. "You can't expect me to deal with this pregnancy alone, and you know it. This time it's different."

He seemed to reconsider this, and at last let down his guard as his eyes softened. "I'm sorry, sweetheart, you're right," he gave in and finally slid close to me on our bed, and then kissed me softly on the lips. He then kissed my belly, "I'm sorry, girls, I love you too," he said to it. I felt a kick where he had placed his hand, and he beamed.

"They recognize your voice," I told him, and smiled. Just then, Adara and Orion ran back into our room, all set and ready to go. But when they saw that Peeta and I had made up, they grinned and jumped up on the bed with us.

"Can we stay?" Adara asked us.

Peeta and I looked at each other. "Yes, you can stay," I told them.

"Yay!" Orion and Adara cheered.

"Actually, I have an errand that I need to go run at the bakery…but all of you can come with me, if you want. There's something that I want to bake for all of us, and the materials are at the bakery," he explained.

So he convinced us to go along with him (things were getting to point where I could hardly bear having Peeta away from me, and the kids always took the opportunity to be with him anyway), and we headed off to the bakery. It wasn't until we arrived that I noticed his shirt, because his employees were starting to tease him about it. It said: " _I put two buns in the oven."_ Now, usually I would think that it was just a baker joke, but now that I thought about it, I realized it meant something else, and blushed.

"Those are some pretty good-sized buns, you've got in the oven, Mr. Mellark!" one of them said. I gaped, horrified. Peeta merely chuckled.

"What can I say, my wife loves hot buns, and I love baking them!" he replied. I rolled my eyes.

"You're my hero, boss, you've got two kids and two buns in the oven!" another one said. I sat down. They were always making bread jokes, but this time, they were about  _me!_ I should have been humiliated, but frankly, the smell of freshly-baked bread was distracting me. The kids were helping Peeta gather his materials. All of a sudden I was craving…a bosco stick. Yes, a thick, buttery, cheesy bosco stick was exactly what I needed right now. I just had to figure out how to tell Peeta this without embarrassing myself. Just then, Haymitch walked in, looking for us. We had completely forgotten about him in all of our excitement.

"Shouldn't you be in bed? And where's your husband? You could have told me there was a change of plans, you know! I would have made a trip to the liquor store instead!" he protested as soon as he saw me. But I was too preoccupied with my sudden craving to care.

"Haymitch, can you do me a favor, since you're here? I need you to tell Peeta that I want a bosco stick, but I don't want the rest of them to hear," I whispered, turning my eyes to the perverted workers and then back to Haymitch.

Haymitch looked at me for a second, and then laughed. "What, don't you have enough buns in that oven of yours already? No? Oh, all right, but you still owe me big-time!" he shook his head and chuckled as he walked up to the counter.

"Hey kid, want to hear a pun?" he told the pimply teenage boy at the front counter, "I heard a baker stopped making donuts after he got tired of the hole thing," he joked in an inappropriately dirty way. Somehow, the guy found it funny, and so he went to tell it to his co-worker, and they both laughed. Haymitch then took that opportunity to approach Peeta, who was standing nearby looking for materials, and whispered into his ear as he looked at me. Peeta blushed when he saw me. " _Not now,"_ he mouthed.

" _Not like that!"_ I mouthed back. This made him turn into a deeper shade of red, and Haymitch laughed as Adara and Orion turned to all three of us in confusion.

Peeta grabbed a brown paper bag and discreetly put some bosco sticks into it and then had Orion hand it to me. His workers were still making jokes by the counter, so they didn't even notice.

"Bakers trade bread recipes on a knead to know basis," one of them said.

"A good baker will rise to the occasion, it's the yeast he can do," the other responded.

"Bakers earn the majority of their income in the morning, they earn most of their dough at yeast by a leaven o'clock," the first one countered. Wow, they were even worse than Peeta.

"Hey, I don't pay you two at a flourly rate so you can make jokes; quit loafing around!" Peeta teased. I bit into my delicious bosco stick as I listened to their senseless ramblings about bread.

"I give great bread," Haymitch said. He would.

"The gingerbread man thought he couldn't be caught, until he met his baker," Peeta added, at which point Orion started crying when he heard this.

"Oh, don't cry, Daddy's just kidding!" I consoled him as he wept. I dug into my purse and found some chalk (Orion put the strangest things into it sometimes) and handed it to him and told him to go outside with Adara to draw on the sidewalk.

"When two bakers traded buns they had a roll reversal," someone else said. This battle was never going to end.

"Come on, let's roll! Flour Power! Let's get bready to rumble! Wheat know how to have a good time!" It just had to be Peeta.

"Must be butter, because you're on a roll! Donut let any bread sap your powder from you!" said the first guy.

"Says who?" asked the second.

 

"Sesame," replied Peeta.

"You have a rye sense of humor, Peeta," Haymitch joked.

"Can we leave now?" I begged. They would go on forever if I didn't persist.

"The baker's wife has a bosco stick in her mouth!" someone pointed out. They all burst out laughing. Oh crap, I should have waited.

"Well we butter get going!" Peeta finally said. What a relief.

_ **Peeta** _

I could have gone on forever with the bread jokes, but Katniss was losing her patience. Haymitch left towards the liquor store of course, and Katniss and I headed outside to find our kids drawing on the sidewalk. Haymitch was still there, laughing as he looked at the drawings. I suddenly had a bad feeling about this.

"Look Mommy, Daddy!" Orion cried out as he pointed to his drawings. I leaned down to see what they had drawn. Katniss could barely see her own feet, but she attempted to look down at the pictures anyway.

"Oh, that's a lovely snowman, Orion!" she said.

"Is that a piece of bread beside him?" I asked.

"No!" Orion cried out, offended.

"It's you, Mommy and Daddy!" Adara explained; and Haymitch laughed even harder when he saw the looks on our faces.

"I look like a snowman?" Katniss asked.

"Hey, I'm a piece of bread," I said. But she only frowned at me.

"I drew you and Mommy baking babies!" Adara said cheerfully. Oh, boy. I looked at Adara's sketch; and there was a picture of me with a tray of buns, placing them inside Katniss' belly, which seemed to be open like an oven. I exhaled in relief.

Katniss laughed. "Oh, that's very sweet, Adara. Yours too, Orion! Fudge off, Haymitch!" Haymitch only snickered at this, but he went away all the same. I'm sure he had things to drink. Either way, we all went home.

Later on that evening, I asked Katniss about her unusual craving at the bakery as we got ready for bed. "You usually crave cheese buns while we're there," I pointed out.

"Yes, I know, but this time it was different for some reason." She paused as I helped her out of her clothes. She was no longer comfortable sleeping with clothes on; she said it was too hot, which was perfectly fine with me. I was wearing boxers. She then grinned at me as she tugged at my waistband. "Maybe you should sleep naked too; I'm craving a different bosco stick now," she whispered seductively.

I winked at her as I removed them and then crawled into bed with her. "Why, Mrs. Mellark, are you suggesting we start baking when you're the one who complained that the oven was too hot in the first place?" I teased her.

She chuckled. "Well, I  _am_ the girl on fire," she joked as she straddled my hips. Oh, that was it. I no longer stood a chance, and she knew it.

"I guess I'm pita toast, then," I mumbled weakly. My hands roamed her belly. "You're so unbelievably sexy," I whispered into her ear.

"Thanks, but I'm really just fat," she laughed.

"No, you're pregnant, and beautiful, there's a difference," I argued in between her lips as we kissed. "I love the curve of your hips, the fullness of your breasts, and the movement of the babies in between us," I told her.

"I love you, Peeta," she said as we joined.

"I love you too, Sweetheart," I replied as she begin to rock back and forth, slowly but deeply, until we grew tired and she whispered to me that the twins had been rocked to sleep. I smiled as I kissed her forehead and stroked her belly, and then fell asleep beside her.


	7. Chocolate Cake

_ **Katniss** _

I knew that Peeta was up to something, but I didn't know what. He had gone to work before dawn, and he was in a great mood. I, however, was not happy about the fact that he had left me all on my own with the kids all day, for today was Sunday. It wasn't even his work day, and nowadays he worked at home so that he could assist me. I was seven months pregnant now, and I tired easily. The doorbell rang, and I went up to answer it as Adara and Orion chased each other around the house.

It was Delly. I smiled. "Hi Delly, how are you? Come on in!" I said cheerfully. Delly had been out of town lately, but she had come back a few days ago and helped me out now and then.

"I'm fine, how are you Katniss? Peeta told me you might need a hand with the kids. He says he'll be here soon. How's your pregnancy so far?" she asked me as we sat down in the living room. Adara and Orion were playing hide-and-seek now.

"Well, I went to the doctor yesterday, and he says it's going great, but to be honest, I'm ready for it to be over. I have so many ongoing symptoms, I don't even know what comfort is anymore; but I guess it could be worse. The babies are doing fine though; did I tell you they might be fraternal twins?" I said.

"No, you didn't, but that's great!" Delly exclaimed. Just then, the doorbell rang again, and this time, Delly offered to answer it. She opened the door and I was shocked to see that it was Johanna. I hadn't seen her since Christmas! I had found out that she had married Gale and had three kids with him, and yet they were nowhere in sight; she had come alone. "Hey, Johanna, what a surprise, I haven't seen you in a while!" Delly greeted her.

I stood up. "Hello Johanna, what brings you here?" I asked in puzzlement.

"Well, it's nice to see you too, brainless. I see bread boy knocked you up again. Is it true that he put two buns in the oven this time?" she asked as she walked in like she owned the place and sat beside me and Delly on the couch. Johanna would never change.

"Yes, I was just telling Delly that they might be fraternal twins," I informed her as I noticed that Adara and Orion were whispering to each other underneath the dinner table. "Kids, come say hi to Delly and Johanna!" I told them.

"Hi, Delly and Johanna!" they chorused at the same time from beneath their hiding place. They then went back to their whispering. I rolled my eyes.

"Hey, I left my kids with their dad." Johanna told them. Delly smiled at them and shook her head. "So anyways, I see you're getting pretty big. You must feel heavy," Johanna commented.

"Why, yes, I do feel like crap, thanks for noticing," I replied sarcastically. I was willing to bet  _her_  back wasn't killing her.

"Oh, calm down, I was just being observant," she said in defense as Delly and I frowned at her. "So are they going to be boys or girls, or one of each? Have you come up with names yet?" she questioned.

"Actually, yes, they're both girls and I'm naming them Rose and Rue; Rose is short for Primrose," I explained.

Johanna didn't seem to approve of this, but at least she decided not to comment this time. "Oh, I think those are beautiful names, Katniss!" Delly said genuinely.

"Yeah, does that mean that you expect one kid to be black and the other one white? Imagine Peeta's shock! How would you even pull that off? I once had a friend who had a baby of each color, even though both she and her husband were white; but then again her mailman was a nice chocolate man…" she trailed off dreamily.

Delly gasped. "Johanna!" her eyes widened in horror.

I glared at Johanna. I wasn't surprised. "No, Johanna, I do not expect to have a baby that actually looks like the original Rue, and I would never cheat on my husband to obtain it. In fact, I would never cheat on him with anybody for any reason. I love him and he's a good father to my children," I said firmly.

Delly nodded approvingly. Johanna simply laughed. "Chill, I was just kidding, brainless. I know you would never be unfaithful to bread boy; he's the only man who can put up with you anyway. He practically worships the ground you walk on. And he's given you all those children. I bet he's good in bed," she winked.

I blushed, but before I could respond, the door opened and Peeta came in carrying a cake. Behind him were his two assistants from the bakery, Gale, Gale's family, Annie, Finn, and Greasy Sae, along with some of her granddaughters; and they were all carrying balloons, food, and gifts, along with several other items. I gasped.

"Surprise!" they all shouted in unison. I turned to see that Johanna and Delly were grinning from ear to ear; they had obviously been in on this. Adara and Orion had finally crawled out from underneath the table and were jumping up and down in excitement as they greeted the Hawthorne kids. They had known all along too, I realized. I finally turned back to Peeta after he had set the cake down on the table along with all the other items everyone else had brought. I then noticed that the cake was beautifully decorated with white and pink frosting, and elaborate cursive letters on it said the words "Baby Shower" with a sleeping baby drawn on each side.

I choked back a sob. This was just too much for me. Why was I so emotional? Perhaps it was because I had the sweetest, most thoughtful husband in the world, and he was looking at me with happiness and pride. "Oh, Peeta, did you organize all of this?" I wondered in amazement as I looked around to see that everyone else was grinning at me.

"Yes, but I obviously had some help. We all worked together to make you a baby shower! And I even baked you a chocolate cake; I knew you were craving it this morning," he teased. So that's where he had been all morning! I had thought that he had left me to run on some crazy errand, and I received a party instead.

I flushed; I didn't even know what to say to that. So I thanked Peeta and everyone else as I greeted them. When I went to talk to Annie, whom I hadn't seen in a while either, I was shocked to see that she was talking to my mother. How had I not noticed that my mother was here? "Mother, Annie, I haven't seen you two since Christmas!" I exclaimed.

They both turned to me and gave me a hug each, which were kind of awkward considering my oversized belly. But they were both glad to see me again, and they asked me about my pregnancy as we caught up. I noticed that Peeta and Gale were talking in a corner, while Finn made out with his eldest daughter, Jayne. Gale didn't seem too happy about it, and I saw Annie frowning at Finn, who obviously didn't notice. I then saw that Peeta's employees were catering the party.  _Oh, great,_ I thought. Just what I needed: Pervert Number One and Two.

"Katniss, did you hear what I just said?" my mother asked me.

"What? Sorry, I was distracted; what were you saying?" I asked, embarrassed.

"I said that I'm planning to come back in two months to help you give birth and that I can stay a little longer after that to help you and Peeta take care of the kids if you want me to," she repeated patiently. "I've already contacted your doctor; he was an old friend of mine, and he said that it was fine if I helped out during the labor as long as you were okay with it."

"Oh, all right, thanks! Yes, I would really like that, Mom. Peeta really needs to go back to work at the bakery after that; he's taken a lot of time off already," I told her. Just then, Pervert, I mean Employee, Number one approached us with a tray of pastries in hand. My heart sank. He grinned. There were bosco sticks on the tray.

_ **Peeta** _

I saw Rye from the corner of my eye approach Katniss as I talked to Gale. I excused myself after I noticed that the tray contained bosco sticks and ran over to Rye. "Hey, Rye, go serve some drinks instead!" I ordered him abruptly, before he even thought about making a joke to my wife and her group about the bosco sticks.

He turned and looked at me guiltily. "Yes, sir," he mumbled as he went back towards the kitchen, away from Katniss' group. She looked at me gratefully as she exhaled in relief. I nodded, and then approached her as she excused herself from her group and walked over to me as we met halfway.

"We need to talk," she whispered to me as soon as we were close enough. I agreed, and led her towards the hallway, away from the party.

"What is it?" I asked her, although I had the feeling I already knew.

"Your perverted workers are catering the baby shower, that's what!" she snapped.

I flinched. "Katniss, I'm sorry, sweetheart; it's just that they're the only ones who I could think of! I know you don't like them, but they're great kids, and they're really good at what they do. Just give them a chance, okay? I told them not to say anything to you about the incident last month, but I'll go talk to them again. Besides…they remind me of my brothers," I finished sadly.

Katniss looked at me with a pained expression. "Peeta, I know how you feel, and you know I understand more than anybody, but they're not even related to you! I don't even know their names, and just because they're perverted bakers doesn't mean they're like your brothers," she argued.

I sighed, exasperated. "I know, but it's more than that, Katniss. They're brothers, and they're just as close and my own brothers were to each other. Their names are Leven and Rye, and their mother was my eldest brother's wife before he passed," I explained.

Katniss gasped. "But…they're even named after your brothers! Why didn't you tell me? And does this mean that they're your nephews?" she asked in shock.

"No, she remarried and decided to use the names in their memory. Leven would have liked that. Her husband had to deal with it, since she's a stubborn woman and you can't say no to her." I grinned. "I guess Mellark men tend to go after stubborn women," I joked.

Katniss rolled her eyes. "Fine, I'll give them a chance, as long as they stop making stupid bread jokes," she warned.

"I bread your pardon?" I asked. She scowled at me, and I chuckled as we went back to the living room, where all of our guests were.

Johanna and Delly approached us. "Katniss, Peeta, we were looking for you!" Delly said. "I was just telling Johanna that I was wondering if you needed me to take care of Adara and Orion for when you give birth, since your mom and Peeta are both going to be there with you," she said to Katniss.

Katniss and I blinked. We hadn't even thought of that yet. "Why yes, and thank you, we would really appreciate that!" Katniss replied gratefully as I nodded in approval.

"Where were you two, anyway? This is no time for you to be making out in corners, you know! It's time for the games, and we need all of the men to get out, including your annoying caterers," Johanna told me scornfully.

"Actually, I was hoping we could do some karaoke and maybe throw in some pastry puns into the songs," I admitted. All three of them looked at me as if I was crazy. And perhaps I was; I mean, it's not like I actually knew anything about woman games in baby showers, but hey, weren't they my babies too? What was so wrong with me staying and throwing in some ideas? Haymitch had refused to come because he had said it was only for women, and Gale and Finn had traveled far to get here, so they didn't really have anywhere else to go unless I went with them to Haymitch's house. Which was equivalent to going to a bar, and I wasn't ready for that yet.

"You are beautiful, no matter what they say! Words can't bring you down!" I sang.

"Oh, Peeta…" Katniss began.

"…oh, bread… so don't you knead my dough today!" I finished. She frowned at me as Johanna laughed.

I then turned on the music and put "You're Having My Baby," on karaoke as I grabbed a microphone. Everyone turned to me as the soft music began to play.

"You're having my babies; what a lovely way of saying how much you love me," I began. Katniss was already beginning to tear up. I continued. "You're having my babies. What a lovely way of saying what you're thinking of me. I can see it! Your face is glowing! I can see it in your eyes; I'm happy you know it… that you're having my babies. You're the woman I love and I love what it's doing to you. You're having my babies! You're a woman in love and I love what's going through you. I kneaded inside you! I see them showing! Oh, the buns inside you baby, can you feel them rising? Are you happy you know it?" By now, Katniss was blushing and everyone else was laughing.

I grinned. "That you're baking my babies! You're the woman I love and I love what it's doing to you. You're baking my babies! You're a woman in love and I love what's baking through you. You didn't have to bake them. Wouldn't put you through it! But I put them in the oven and the buns are rising….yeah, can you feel them rising? And you're baking my babies!" I sang at the top of my lungs until the song was over and Katniss' face was bright red.

Everyone cheered as I finished the song and I handed the microphone to Katniss. "It's your turn, sweetheart!" I said cheerfully. She shook her head, embarrassed. "Oh come on, you sing beautifully!" I begged we all began to chant her name.

So, finally, she took the microphone and turned on the stereo to the song "Smile," which of course made me smile, because that meant she wasn't so mad at me if she was planning to sing something cute. The song began to play.

"You butter than the best," she began. I grinned. "I'm lucky just to have you near my stove, hotter than your bosco stick at night, that's right. Completely unaware, nothing can compare to how you knead me, tease me, we can go all day. Yeah, all day, and the moments were my good times start to fade. You bake so hot like the sun, rattle the bed;

springs gonna break, dizzy in my head, rise like a bun, in the oven every night!" I flushed as all of the adults cracked up and Rye and Leven winked at me. But she continued to sing, and perfectly in tune, at that.

"You make me moan, scream and drool, forget I should breathe, hot like buns, a nice bosco stick! Just the thought of you can drive me wild! I'm your girl on fire!" she sang as I tried not to blush and Gale elbowed me in the ribs knowingly. But Katniss wasn't done. "Even when you're gone, somehow you always come back just to bake some hot cheese buns. And just like that, you steal away the dough, and just like that… you bake so hot like the sun, knead all the bread; ice all the cake, banging on my head, rise like a bun, in the oven every night! You make me moan, scream, and drool, forget I should breathe, hot like buns, and your bosco stick, just the thought of you can drive me wild! Oh, you set me on fire!" By now, I was seriously considering taking the microphone away from her, but then the next part she sang stopped me.

"Don't know how I lived without you! 'Cause every time that I get around you; I see the best of me inside your eyes. I'm your girl on fire!" she sang the rest of the song this way, and it was all I could do not to turn off the music, but I guess I deserved it.

The song finally ended, and everyone cheered even louder than they had for me. I had to admit, hers was definitely better, if only because it was dirtier. She finally handed the microphone away to someone else and approached me. "How did you like that, my boy with the bread?" she teased me, and winked. My face was hot, and the kids were looking at us confused. They had probably thought the song had been about actual bread. If only.

"The sexual tension was killing me," I admitted, and grinned.

She laughed, and Delly announced that it was time to cut the cake. So we went to the table as Delly handed Katniss a knife and everyone crowded around her. Delly and I helped her serve everyone a piece, and I made sure that Katniss received the biggest slice. She dipped her finger into the frosting and smeared it on my nose after she had taken a bite out of her chocolate cake. I glared at her playfully and smeared some on her face too. She giggled, and Adara and Orion saw us and started painting each other's faces with frosting as well. I chuckled as I bent down to kiss Katniss in the lips, but she shoved my plate in front of my face, so that now there was cake frosting all over my face. By now, everyone was staring at us, so I decided to kiss her anyway, and she screeched when I smeared her face with it, too. We laughed, and after that we finished eating our cake and washed our faces, helping Adara and Orion clean theirs too.

"Let's keep singing baker karaoke!" someone announced over the microphone, and soon began to sing. "Wake up in the morning, feeling like a baker, grab my mittens, I'm out the door, gonna bake some muffins! Before I knead, wash my hands, with a sack of flour, 'cause when I knead for the day it's gonna take twelve hours!" we turned around to see that it was Rye, and I chuckled, as I saw Leven steal the microphone away and switch up the song.

"I throw my bread up in the air sometimes, singing AYOOO it's kind of burnt, though!" Leven sang, and then Rye stole the microphone back, and by now they had forgotten about the music as they switched back and forth.

"So I put my bread up, they're playing my song, and the Mockingjays fly away! Kneading some bread like yeah, baking some buns, like yeah!" Rye sounded like a giddy little school girl.

"If you ever leave me baby, leave some hot buns at my door!" Leven was obviously clingy.

"Country bread, bake it for me, girl!" Rye was thrusting his hips and Katniss was telling me to do something, but it was too funny.

"I like big buns, and I cannot lie!" Leven was even worse.

"Today I don't feel like baking anything…" The typically lazy Rye…this song fit him perfectly.

"It's a bread story baby just say yes!" Since when does Leven listen to Taylor Swift?

"You take my hand and drive me headfirst, breadless!" I figured Rye was a huge fan too.

"'Cause when you're a baker, and someone tells you they'll burn you, you're gonna believe them!" Leven was obviously resentful about his last baking incident.

"Hey, cheese buns I know looks can be deceiving but I know I saw some cheese in you." What else would cheese buns have, Rye?

"It's too late for you and your white bread…to catch me now." Leven still sounded pretty sad to me.

"You're not doughy…oh nooooooooo!" Now Rye was horribly off-key.

"Does Peeta turn you on, when he bakes Katniss; does the sight of him kneading you drive you crazy? Does he make hot buns? Is that not enough? Tell us does he, or does he not bake pastries?" This time, Finn had taken over, and everyone was in hysterics. Katniss even joined in.

_ **Katniss** _

After the karaoke contest was over (I was the winner, of course, since I actually sang an entire song unlike Leven and Rye), Johanna insisted that all the men leave so that we could switch to "woman games." Peeta finally gave in and took Gale, Finn, Leven, and Rye with him to have a drink at Haymitch's house. Only the women and children were left now, but that was pretty much everyone who had filled the house. The kids were running around like crazy, so I told Adara and Orion to go play in their rooms with the rest of the kids.

All of the women sat in a circle in the living room, and they had me stand in the middle as they passed toilet paper around. The had to guess how big my tummy was and measure it out with toilet paper, and whoever came the closest to getting it right would win. I noticed everyone was grabbing what seemed like yards of it, and I felt extremely self-conscious as they eyed me carefully. Maybe I was too fat, even for a pregnant woman. Oh wait…I was having twins…never mind.

As soon as everyone had their toilet paper, they all took turns as they came up to measure me. Delly's was too small, Johanna made a huge show out of it but hers was too big, my mother's was pretty close, Annie's was slightly off, and Greasy Sae's was just right. The old woman grinned at me knowingly as she received her prize. Greasy Sae had been keeping up well with my pregnancy these past few months, and I smiled back at her gratefully.

After that, we played a couple more games; Delly won the blindfolded diaper-changing contest (we used Adara's doll), Johanna won who could hold the most clothespins in one hand (they made a lot of perverted jokes out of that), and Annie won the most pins after she caught people say "baby." But then we switched to another game that I found hilarious.

There was a cup placed in the far side of the living room floor, and the point of the game was for each person to try to put a lime into it…without using their hands, and without dropping it. So I laughed as I watched Johanna place a lime in between her legs and walk across the living room with it. "You look like you're about to pee yourself," I told her.

"You're the one who goes to the bathroom every ten seconds!" she remarked.

"Yes, but I'm actually pregnant," I pointed out.

"You're right, this reminds me of when my water broke before I had Tara…great," she said sarcastically as she accidently dropped it. "This game is impossible!" she complained as the men walked back in through the door.

"Hey, I see you're all still playing," Peeta noted as Haymitch walked in behind him and snickered.

"What's so funny, Haymitch?" Johanna said defensively. "I have another idea for a game, and all of you guys can play," she told them deviously.

They all turned to look at each other, but agreed to it out of sheer curiosity. Haymitch only agreed once we told him it would involve alcohol. So we gathered up baby bottles that Johanna had bought especially for this game, and we put liquor in them as we told them that whoever sucked theirs out of the bottle the fastest would win…but they weren't allowed to use their hands either. Soon, all of us were laughing at them as they wreathed on the floor and tried to find the best position to drink their baby bottles in. Even the kids came back to see their fathers sucking out of a baby bottle. Haymitch was smart and wedged his between the table and the couch, so he ended up winning.

"Haymitch Abernathy, the alcohol champion of the world!" he yelled triumphantly as he held up his empty baby bottle in the air. I did my best not to double up in laughter. The kids gathered up and cheered for him, but tauntingly.

"Dude, it's just a baby shower," Leven reminded him.

"You're just drunk, Haymitch," Gale added, although I could tell he was slightly jealous, because he had been close to winning himself.

Later on, it was time to open up the presents, and I engorged myself in the beautiful gifts everyone had brought Rose and Rue. Nearly everything was pink, and Adara wanted to hold all of the gifts as Peeta took pictures. Orion whined about the fact that he didn't get anything, and we told him he would on his birthday, so that seemed to cheer him up. Finally, we put everything away as everyone helped us clean up and then left. Finn and Jayne had been missing this whole time, and Peeta and I found them making out under the stairs. They refused to separate, but they all left in the end, so I wasn't sure when they were forced to split paths. I knew they would spend the night in a train, though. Peeta and I exchanged glances knowingly.

"Well, I guess that's it, did you like the baby shower?" Peeta asked me after we had sent the kids to bed.

"Oh, yes, it was wonderful, Peeta!" I answered earnestly as I put on a light nightgown. I wondered how long I would last with it on; having two buns in the oven could be overheating, as Peeta liked to say. I then climbed into bed with Peeta as he cuddled up behind me and squeezed my breast lightly. I gasped. "Peeta, don't…" I began, but it was too late.

"What's wrong?" he asked, alarmed, as he pulled his hand away quickly. "Did I hurt you?"

I looked down at the wet spot that was now on my nightgown below my right nipple. "No, it's just that they leak sometimes, and it's really annoying," I admitted bashfully. This had never happened before in any of my previous pregnancies, not so soon, anyway.

"You have breast milk already?" he sounded excited. Well,  _he_  wasn't the one who had to put up with it.

"Something like that, but not exactly the same," I explained vaguely. "I suppose you could say it's almost that." The doctor had called it something, but I couldn't remember what.

"Oh…what does it taste like?" he whispered seductively.

"I don't know…I hadn't thought about it, it looks weird," I told him. It was starting to get too hot, and Peeta cuddling up beside wasn't helping, so I sat up and removed my nightgown and tossed it aside as I lay back down beside Peeta. I figured should just give up on clothes. This only seemed to excite him even more, and he kissed my neck and slid a finger inside me, and a scream escaped from my throat as I buckled against his large, masculine hand. I turned around and found his lips as I pressed them against mine, and we kissed as he touched me and I came undone. His lips then trailed down to suck my nipples and I moaned, and oh, I didn't want leak all over the bed, but he was cleaning it up with his tongue. He pulls his pajama pants down as he prepares himself for what's next.

"It tastes sweet," he comments, aroused. Sweet…like the taste of bread and chocolate in his mouth and the sugar always stuck in his fingers. Like the sweet nothings that he was murmuring to me right now.

"Oh, Peeta!" I moaned as he pushed me up above him and allowed me to sink my hips into his. I rock back and forth as he holds on to my hips, until the fire and hunger finally consume me and he follows after. I tighten my hips as the warm fluid passes through and I feel him soften up inside me. He finally releases me and lays me down on the bed beside him, whispering soft words into my ear as he strokes the babies. His blue eyes don't abandon mine as he promises me that he will paint this wonderful feeling soon.


	8. Baguette and Buns

_ **Katniss** _

It was relieving to finally have everything ready for the twins to be born. Peeta had helped me finish decorating their room and we had bought enough clothing and diapers and other essentials to last them a few weeks. I was ready for this pregnancy to be over. Annie had called and agreed to come and visit along with my mother so that she, my mother, and Delly could help me out when Peeta went back to the bakery. I had gone to the doctor and he had said that their heads had finally gone down but it was likely that I still had another month to go. Peeta had already installed the car seats. I had a hospital bag ready. Even their pediatrician was ready. Things had gotten to the point where my allergies had gone crazy, I hated going out in the sun, I couldn't sleep, I was tired, my back hurt, and on and on my long list of suffering went. Needless to say, sometimes I was just plain miserable.

"Peeta, can you tie my shoes for me, please?" I asked him one morning while I was getting dressed.

"Sure," he said as he bent down to do it. I wondered why I even bothered wearing shoes with shoelaces on them. I couldn't even see my own feet. I was eight months pregnant, and it was showing. The twins didn't have much room to move, and I was constantly hungry.

"There you go," he said when he was finished. "What do you want me to bake you today? It has to be something healthy, though. Remember that the doctor told you to stop eating so much sugar," Peeta told me as he stood back up.

"I don't eat that much sugar," I retorted in defense as we headed downstairs to where Adara and Orion where already eating cereal in the kitchen. I was surprised they hadn't spilled the milk this time.

"Yes you do, remember yesterday? You ate a whole liter of ice cream," he said as he sat me down on the table.

I rolled my eyes. "All right, now you're just exaggerating," I pointed out.

"Oh, that's right, you made a milkshake with the extra ice cream," he shook his head disapprovingly.

"I had a craving," I whined defensively.

"It was yummy!" Orion said.

"Yeah, Mommy gave us some!" Adara added.

"See? I didn't eat it all by myself," I told Peeta as he took out some baguettes out of the oven. I don't even know why he asked me what I wanted if he already had something prepared. I told him this and then added that I wanted some cheese buns.

"All right, I already have some ready to be put in," he informed me as someone knocked on the door and he went up to answer it.

I then got up to place the buns inside the oven and shut the oven door. I looked up to see who had come visit us this early in the morning as I heard voices coming from the hallway. I soon saw that it was Haymitch.

"Grampa Haymitch!" the kids shouted in unison as they ran up to hug him like he was Santa Claus or something. But then again, he  _did_ dress up as Santa for Christmas…not that the kids could know that.

"Call me Uncle Haymitch; I'm not that old!" he grouched. Actually, he was ancient, and I told him so matter-of-factly.

He looked up at me in mock surprise as Peeta followed behind him while they walked inside the kitchen. "Oh, well you're not that young anymore yourself, Sweetheart," he reminded me as I scowled at him. "And what are you up to, anyway?" he asked as I stood beside the oven door.

"She has some buns in the oven," Peeta answered jokingly for me. I glared at him.

"Oh well, I hope you had fun making them," Haymitch followed along as they laughed. I rolled my eyes… stupid men.

"I wish I had helped!" Adara said sadly, which only added to their hysterics. She only looked at them confused.

"Don't listen to them, honey," I told her as I sat back down to prepare myself a sandwich with half of a baguette.

"Mommy, I want cookies!" Orion exclaimed.

"Finish your cereal first," I told him as Peeta and Haymitch settled down to have breakfast with us.

Peeta served me a cup of coffee and then turned to Orion. "Sorry buddy, but we can't have anymore sweets inside the house until the babies are born. Your mom keeps eating them, and they're bad for her. Your sisters are almost here, so you won't have to wait long. I'll bring you more cookies then, okay?" he assured him.

Orion and Adara looked up at him horrified. "Not fair!" Orion cried angrily as he burst into hysterics and began to throw a temper tantrum. Haymitch bent down to pick him up from the floor, where he had fallen from his chair as he kicked around furiously.

"Yeah, why can't we eat them at the bakery?" Adara asked.

"Peeta, this is ridiculous, just give him a cookie so he'll shut up!" I yelled in sudden frustration. I did  _not_ feel like putting up with this today.

Peeta turned to me in exasperation. "Katniss, this is for your own good and for theirs too! You need to stop giving them everything they ask for. Do you  _want_ your children to get sick?" he retorted.

I turned away from him angrily, knowing that he was right. I then saw Haymitch looking at us worriedly as he tried to calm Orion down. For once, he was actually trying to help, and I looked at him gratefully. He nodded at me as everyone else tried to continue eating their breakfast, but I had already lost my appetite. Just then, Orion mumbled something darkly under his breath, and Haymitch, who was closest to him, turned to him in shock.

_ **Peeta** _

"What was that you said, Orion?" I demanded as I saw Haymitch take a large swallow from his flask.

"Babies fault!" he said louder.

"What is?" Katniss asked him worriedly.

"No cookies!" he elaborated.

"That's not what he said earlier," Haymitch muttered.

"Orion, what did you say before that? I already said that it was for your own good and that you could have some cookies back after the new babies came," I told him firmly as Adara gulped. Surely she had heard him, but she had also refused to speak up.

"Kill new babies," Orion finally hissed fiercely.

"What did you say?" Now I was losing my temper. Katniss stared at Orion, horrified.

"I want to make the babies dead," he repeated as his vengeful gray eyes met mine.

Haymitch nearly choked, and I realized that he was trying hard not to laugh. I pressed my lips together firmly. Katniss began to sob. Adara excused herself from the table and ran up to her room saying that she needed to go get ready for her dance class, which I had to take her to in less than an hour. But I wasn't done with Orion yet.

I took a deep breath as I tried to calm down, knowing that if I didn't control myself, I would have a relapse with the tracker jacker venom. And now was not the time to lose my temper that way. "Orion, go to your room and don't come out of there until I tell you to," I ordered him as he reluctantly and somewhat defiantly obeyed. As soon as he was gone, I breathed a sigh of relief. I swear that child looked possessed; it was hard to know what to do with him sometimes.

"Well, that was interesting, to say the least," Haymitch commented. "He sure is a creature of sunshine. I wonder whose kid it is," he joked as he tried to cheer up Katniss, but to no avail. She was inconsolable.

"Sweetheart, I'm sorry; I'll talk to him and he'll come around, I promise," I whispered as I put my arms around her and she laid her head on my shoulder.

"M-my own s-son w-wants to k-kill his b-baby sisters!" she wailed.

"No, he's just upset about the cookies," I reassured her as the oven went off and I got up to take the cheese buns out of the oven.

"Here, the cheese buns are ready, you can have one as soon they cool off," I told her.

"Has Orion learned any new bad words?" Haymitch asked us curiously.

"No, thank goodness," Katniss replied as she took the tissue that I was offering her and blew her nose loudly.

Just then, Orion ran into the kitchen and yelled, "I seen Mommy touch Daddy naked!"

"Orion, go back to your room!" I exclaimed angrily as Haymitch burst out laughing and Katniss turned away embarrassed.

Orion gave Haymitch an impish grin and then gave Katniss and me accusing glances before heading back to his room. I shook my head. I had to talk to that boy, and soon, before it was too late.

"Do I even want to know?" Haymitch asked us knowingly. But before either of us could respond, Adara came back into the kitchen and asked me to take her to her dance class. I nodded, glad to escape the situation. I then left with Adara, promising Katniss that I would return soon.

_ **Katniss** _

I didn't like being left alone with Haymitch when I was so emotional, because I knew that he would only tease me, or worse, sympathize with me. And yet, it didn't turn out as bad as I expected it to. In fact, it turned out that he knew just what to do with Orion. I ate a cheese bun as Haymitch went to fetch Orion so that he could talk to him, and that seemed to calm me down.

"Now, you listen to me, kid," Haymitch began as he faced Orion. "I know your parents told you that babies were made in the oven, but that doesn't mean you can eat them or stab them with a butter knife like you tend to do with bread." Orion seemed enlightened by this news. Haymitch continued. "In fact, that's what cheese bun babies are for. Now  _those_ you can actually eat and take your anger out on. You just have to ask your Daddy to bake you one. Now, if you ever want cookies just go to my house and I'll get you some, and I won't tell him. But don't make your Mommy sad by saying that you want to kill your baby sisters, because she's worked very hard to bake them in her special oven. Got it?" Orion nodded enthusiastically. "Good. Now tell her you're sorry and give her a kiss," Haymitch urged him.

I gave Haymitch as surprised glance before Orion turned to me and said, "Sorry Mommy, I love you, and babies too." He then kissed my tummy and hugged it, since it was the only thing that he could reach and it fit with his apology. I began to tear up again. "Don't cry, Mommy," he said.

"I'm not sad, baby, I love you too," I said. Just then, Peeta came back and saw that I was smiling at Orion and relief instantly crossed his face.

"I see that you've made up," he said approvingly.

"Yes, I talked to him since you ran out on us," Haymitch said. Peeta instantly appeared guilty, but I gave him a reassuring look and he relaxed again. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I've had a great time and all, but I have to go feed my geese and get drunk," he said as he headed out the door. Peeta and I shook our heads, but before Haymitch closed the front door behind him, he said: "Oh, and Peeta, if your kid asks for cheese bun babies, just invent some, okay? Goodbye, now." And then he shut the door firmly behind him.

Peeta turned to me, puzzled. "What was that all about?" he asked me as he picked up Orion, who hugged him in apology.

I chuckled. "You don't even want to know," I said. He raised an eyebrow at me but didn't say anything.

_ **Peeta** _

Later that night, I knew just how to cheer up Katniss. I had baked some pita bread and had a piece of toast ready just for the occasion. It was an inside joke that we had; she was fire, and I was bread, so together we made toast. Or just burnt bread…often burnt pita bread, but still, it was a good joke. Lately, Katniss had had trouble sleeping because of her nightmares and discomfort, so I wanted to help her feel better. She never slept with clothes on anymore because she became easily overheated, so I decided not to bother with wearing any clothes either. All I needed was bread.

As soon as Katniss walked inside the door of our bedroom, she gasped. "Peeta, what's that on your crotch? And why is it that you're lying on your side naked like you're some sort of sex god?" she blurted out, confused.

I grinned. "It's pita bread and toast! Do you like it? Wait…did you just call me a sex god? Come here and I'll show you how much of a sex god I am," I winked mischievously.

She flushed, but she instantly peeled off her clothes and joined me. "You didn't tell me you also had some baguette and buns in that mini bakery of yours," she breathed as she looked down at me.

I chuckled as I put aside the loaves of bread. "I loaf you dough much," I teased. For once, she actually laughed with me as we kissed.

"How are we going to do this?" she suddenly asked as she looked down at her oversized belly. "I don't think I should climb on top of you anymore," she added.

I thought about that for a moment. "How about you lay on the bed with your feet on the floor and I stand above you?" I suggested.

She nodded. "Yes, I'd like that," she agreed as she adjusted herself into the desired position. I then climbed out of the bed and stood in front of her.

"Now?" I asked.

"Oh, yes," she sighed.

I slid into her then; slowly, and carefully until she told me to go faster and deeper and harder, and she felt so good; it was like making love to butter, because I suppose I was the bread, or was I the one buttering up her biscuit? I didn't know anything anymore; only that my hands were coming back to the topography of her pregnancy as I explored her upper body and growing abdomen. She moaned and sighed as I grunted and sweated and worked my way inside her with every determined thrust. It had been so long since I had been above her, but I knew that she still had the control.

"Oh Peeta," she finally gasped as we both reached our climax. I then helped her readjust herself on the bed so that I could lie down beside her. She squeezed my rear and said: "your name must be Peeta Mellark, because your muffins are hot."

I laughed. "Look who's making bread jokes now. I guess that means your name must be Katniss Mellark because your oven is on fire," I teased as we cuddled.

She snuggled closer to me as she turned around so that I could spoon her. "You know, you still have to make up that cheese bun baby recipe for Orion…and I want you to wear your favorite apron for that," she said sleepily.

I smiled. "You mean the one that says 'Kiss my buns' on it?" I asked her playfully.

I couldn't see her, but I knew that she was smiling when she replied. "Precisely," she mumbled before we both drifted off to sleep. She didn't have any nightmares that night. But little did I know, that whatever cheese buns babies were, I was in for a lot of trouble.


	9. Cheese Bun Babies

_**Katniss** _

Today I woke up feeling contractions, and I instantly nudged Peeta awake. He jolted up and looked at me with alarm. I was thirty-six weeks pregnant, and for the last few days I had been feeling contractions, wondering if I was going to go into labor, but so far they had all been false alarms. Needless to say, Peeta was turning into a nerve-wreck, and he was the calmer one out of the two of us.

"What is it? What are you feeling? Are you sure it's not another false alarm?" he blurted out rapidly, his voice still hoarse from sleep.

"I'm not sure yet, but you need to start timing me," I reminded him. "I'm having trouble breathing, so this may be it," I added as I struggled to get out of bed. He went over to my side of the bed and started helping me get ready.

"Should I call Delly? There's no school today; we'll need her to watch the kids," Peeta said.

"Not until we're sure, and the doctor said that we needed to head to the hospital when my contractions were five minutes apart…do you know where my hospital bag is?" I asked him distractedly.

He nodded as we headed downstairs to the kitchen, since it was time for breakfast anyway. As soon we reached the bottom stairs, however, we heard the doorbell. I turned to Peeta quizzically, but he simply shrugged and went to answer the door.

"There's no one out here," Peeta told me as I walked up behind him. "But look-they left us something," he said as he bent down to pick up an odd-shaped pan with bread in it.

I frowned. "Are those cheese buns?" I asked him as he shut the door and handed me the pan.

"Yes," he grinned. "But look at the pan that they're in…it's a baby-shaped mold!" he laughed.

I rolled my eyes. "Look, there's a card on the side," I said as I opened it so that I could read it to him while we walked inside the kitchen. "It says: Dear Katniss, here are your favorite cheese buns, baked in a baby-shaped mold inside the oven, just like your twins. We figured you might like them. Your kids told us about it, and we know the babies are due soon. Sincerely, Leven and Rye," I read out loud as Peeta burst out laughing.

"I told you they were great!" he said between hysterics as Adara and Orion walked in sleepily.

I looked closely at the pan, and, sure enough, the cheese buns were irregularly shaped so that they somehow combined to make it look like a cheese bun baby, its features distinguished by the separate creases of bread. It was the strangest, most creative thing I had seen in a long time. And that says a lot, considering the fact that Peeta bakes a lot of strange, creative things, and paints all sorts of pictures in his studio. "It looks like you've trained them well, Peeta," I commented sarcastically.

"What is that?" Adara asked as she approached us.

"Baby sister!" Orion exclaimed as his gray eyes widened in wonderment and awe.

Peeta chuckled. "No, Orion, that's just bread, your baby sisters aren't born yet," he explained as I had another contraction and my face tightened in discomfort. I felt pressure in my pelvic area, as if the twins were about to fall out. This was no surprise, considering the fact that I looked like I was about to explode. Peeta noticed this, and said, "It's been ten minutes, maybe I should call Delly, just in case," he said worriedly.

I nodded. "Yes, they're getting stronger," I informed him as Adara and Orion turned to us in puzzlement.

"Mommy's going to have the babies soon and Delly will come take care of you," I explained gently as I sat down on a chair. Peeta was already on the phone.

"Can we eat bread baby?" Orion asked, pointing at the pan on the table. Adara looked at him in horror.

"Is this what we're having for breakfast?" Adara seemed somewhat disturbed.

I shrugged. "You can have something else to go along with it, or you can just eat some cereal," I told her as I suddenly started to crave some cheese buns and I distractedly tore off a piece. Orion gasped.

"You eat baby head! I want some!" he said as he tore off another chunk with his chubby little fingers. Adara looked sick.

"Orion, get a plate! Katniss don't let him do that. I just called Delly and she says she's on her way," Peeta said as he served Orion a cheese bun. I suddenly realized what was happening as his words registered and I instantly stood up.

"Oh, I need to clean up before she gets here! This house is a mess; at least make the kids breakfast before we leave," I requested as I started re-arranging things so that they were in their proper place.

"Katniss, you've been cleaning up the house like a madwoman lately, it looks fine. Here, drink some water, maybe it'll make you feel better like it did last time," he offered me a glass as I started having another painful contraction and shook my head.

"No, it's not getting any better, this is it," I gasped. "What's the time?" I asked him.

He looked at his watch and winced. "It's been five minutes, we need to call the doctor," he said as the doorbell rang and he ran up to answer it. It was Delly; she had gotten here in record time and she flung across the room as Peeta let her in.

"We're heading to the hospital; you got here just in time!" Peeta told Delly as she ran up to me.

"Katniss, how are you feeling? Don't worry, I'll take care of the kids; you go ahead and head to the hospital," she urged me, her eyes wide with concern as Adara and Orion gaped at us.

I nodded and thanked her as Peeta ran upstairs to retrieve my hospital bag. Suddenly, I felt a "pop" inside me as water gushed out and began to trickle down my thigh. I gasped, and Delly's eyes widened even more. "Peeta!" I cried out as Delly grabbed the phone and began dialing my doctor.

"What is it?" he asked in panic as he descended down the stairs breathlessly, taking two at a time while he held my hospital bag on his shoulder. Adara giggled at the ruffled sight of him.

"Mommy peed!" Orion yelled in alarm as he pointed at me.

"The doctor won't answer the phone, but you better take her; it'll be faster than an ambulance, she needs to be treated right away!" Delly exclaimed as she hanged up the phone and Peeta approached me.

"My water just broke," I told him in dread, and his face drained of color.

_**Peeta** _

I led Katniss inside the car as quickly and carefully as I could, my heart hammering loudly against my chest. I started up the engine and backed out of the driveway, all the while thinking that we were running out of time. Katniss was breathing rapidly and heavily as I hit the accelerator and drove as fast as I could. "You need to breathe with me!" she reminded me as I started doing it as well. I tried to calm down, knowing that it was impossible. I was a baker, not an ambulance driver.

I sped up the road as Katniss screeched. "You killed a baby squirrel!" she cried out.

"So what, this is an emergency! You shoot squirrels in the eye all the time!" I pointed out.

"Yes, but this one is road kill!" she complained as she cringed in pain.

I bit my lip nervously, tasting blood. I needed to calm down. I  _had_ to calm down. Katniss was about to give birth. Katniss-

"WATCH OUT!" she yelled, right before I ran over an old couple who was about to cross the street. They turned to us in terror as I slammed on the brakes, bringing the minivan to a screeching halt. I jumped out of the car and ran up to them to apologize, but just as I did so, the old woman clutched my sleeve and started screaming furiously at me.

"YOU STUPID SON OF A BITCH, HE HAS A HEART CONDITION! WHAT WERE YOU THINKING?" she shrieked as she shook me.

"I'm sorry…" I began helplessly.

"Honey…" the old man whispered weakly as he clutched at his chest.

"WHAT?" she turned around and she instantly saw that her husband was suffering, and she went up to his side. "Oh, darling are you all right?" she asked, concerned.

"I-I'm having chest pains," he wheezed.

"I'll call an ambulance," she assured him gently.

I suddenly realized that he was about to have a heart attack, and that I was on my way to the hospital. "I-I'm heading over to the hospital, if you would like a ride," I offered stammering. The old woman gave me a viscous glare, but in the end, she accepted.

She then cursed my carelessness as I helped her load her husband in the back of the minivan, meanwhile noticing that my wife was about to give birth in the front seat.

"What kind of idiot are you?" she shouted as soon as I continued driving, the old man still holding on to his chest.

"I'm sorry, it's just that I'm very distressed right now, as you can see, my wife is about to give birth," I explained as I took out my cell phone and dialed the doctor again. He wouldn't answer, and the old woman continued to curse me and beat me with her purse.  
"Leave me alone, you crazy witch!" I exclaimed as I flung my arm backwards and accidently punched the old man in the chest. He yelped out in pain as I apologized once again. The minivan jumped over a hill and everyone screamed as we flew down.

"Have you tried calling his home phone?" Katniss asked helpfully after we all stopped screaming.

"Yes," I replied desperately.

"What about his cell phone number, do you have that?" she suggested.

"Yes- wait, no, I have it somewhere in here," I explained as I reached down to look through the glove compartment.

"PEETA, WATCH WHERE YOU'RE GOING!" she squealed. I instantly straightened up in apprehension. Just then, a teenage boy flew in front of us as he rode on his skateboard, and I ran over him, unable to stop in time. It all happened so fast. One second he was on the street, and the next thing I know, his face was smeared all over the glass. We all stared at him in shock. Once again, I jumped out of the car to apologize.

"I'm so sorry, are you all right?" I stammered.

"My leg is broken!" the young man moaned in agony.

"Oh, shit!" I cried out. By this time, I was losing it. I doubted telling him that I was missing half a limb would make him feel any better.

"Help me!" he begged.

"Yes!" I said as I picked him up and tried to carry him to the car without making it worse. The old lady got out of the car and helped me; she was rather strong for her age, and extremely angry at that.

"ARE YOU TRYING TO KILL EVERYONE IN DISTRICT TWELVE, YOU ASSHOLE? WE DON'T HAVE TIME FOR THIS! MY HUSBAND IS HAVING A HEART ATTACK!" she screamed as everyone else groaned in pain and we accidently hit the teenage boy's head against the car door.

"Ow!" he cried out. At least he was wearing a helmet. Soon, we loaded him up along with his skateboard and we were on our way again. One block and fifty moans of agony later, we were at the hospital.

_**Katniss** _

As soon as we arrived, Peeta parked himself crookedly in front of the hospital doors and ran out of the car. "You there!" he yelled at some paramedics. "Come quickly, I've got a man with a heart attack, a woman in labor, and a broken leg!" he exclaimed as he slapped the young man's leg and he cried out in pain, causing the old man to moan as I writhed in anguish.

"Good grief," I heard one of the paramedics mumble as they unloaded everyone out of the minivan. They handed us a wheel chair, and I made incoherent noises as Peeta helped me sit on it and we headed towards the front doors. Greasy Sae was blocking our entrance with her walker, however. Peeta begged her to move, but when he saw that she moved too slowly, he picked her up and moved her aside as she looked at us in surprise.

"You'll make a lot of money with those buns at the hob!" she called out behind us as we raced through the hospital. Greasy Sae hardly ever made much sense nowadays. Peeta stopped in front of the receptionist, accidently releasing me as I sped down the hallway and crashed in front of a wall.

"Katniss, I'm so sorry, are you okay?" he asked as he ran up to me.

"Get me out of here, help me!" I pleaded in panic as my contractions became more insistent.

"May I help you?" the receptionist asked him once he had retrieved me.

"Yes, this is Katniss Mellark, her water is broken," he responded urgently.

"I'll get the doctor," the nurse beside her said calmly.

"WELL COME ON, MOVE!" he pushed the nurse desperately.

"HEY, DON'T PUSH ME, I SAID I WOULD GET THE DOCOR!" she fought back.

"Okay, okay, I'm sorry!" he apologized. He leaned down to look at me. "Sweetheart, how are you feeling?" he asked.

"The twins are ready!" I cried out.

"Ready for what?" he asked brilliantly.

"To come out," I elaborated desperately.

"Where is the doctor?" he moaned as we looked around.

"Right here," a familiar voice replied. We looked up in shock. Peeta screamed, and she jumped.

It was my mother. "Where is our doctor?" Peeta asked.

"He's gone, we've switched places. I'm taking over for him, and he's taking over for me. Don't you remember I said I was going to help you give birth?" she asked me as I gaped at her. I had completely forgotten. "I'm going to live in District Twelve now, so that I can be close to my grandchildren," she explained.

"Oh, all right, then," I said weakly. Peeta looked like he was about to faint.

Everything after that was a blur. I remember being placed on a stretcher as we raced toward a room. As soon as we were there, my mother checked me, and said that I had made a lot of progress. I had no idea what she was referring to; all I knew was that I couldn't stand the pain. "WHERE IS MY HUSBAND?" I screeched.

"I'm right here, Sweetheart!" he assured me as I grabbed his hand and held on to it for dear life.

"All right Katniss, you're almost ready, now push," my mother instructed me. I did as I was told, and Peeta kept whispering things in comfort, but I just wasn't in the mood.

"Katniss, I'm so proud of you, I love you…" he was saying.

"SHUT UP, YOU BASTARD! ALL OF THIS IS YOUR FAULT! YOU AND YOUR BOSCO STICK DID THIS! IF IT WASN'T FOR YOU, I WOULDN'T BE GOING THROUGH THIS RIGHT NOW!" I screamed in rage. Just then, I heard a baby crying as my first twin came out. I could see her blonde head even as I tried to sit up.

"Oh, look how beautiful she is!" my mother said as she clipped the umbilical cord and I smiled in relief and joy. "Just one more to go!" she said as she handed her to a nurse.

I frowned, realizing that it wasn't over, and that the pain would continue. Why had I agreed to this? "Calm down, Sweetheart, you're almost done," Peeta said.

"DON'T TELL ME TO CALM DOWN, I HATE YOU!" I screamed as I pushed and my labor pains continued. "ALL BECAUSE YOU'RE A BAKER AND YOU WANTED TO PUT BUNS IN THE OVEN! I'M DONE WITH THIS! NO MORE SEX FOR YOU, EVER! UNLESS YOU WANT TO CUT IT OFF, YOU SCOUNDREL…" I trailed off as relief surged through me and I realized that my second child had been born. This one had dark hair, like me.

"She looks exactly like you, Katniss," My mother said fondly as my baby cried angrily. She then wrapped her up in a blanket and handed me both twins, one in each arm. Peeta looked at all three of us lovingly, and I wondered if he had even heard anything I had just said, or if he had simply decided to ignore it, like he did every time I gave birth.

"Rose and Rue," I whispered as I held them lovingly in my arms. One of them had blonde hair and blue eyes just like her father, but she looked like Prim, and the other one had dark hair and gray eyes like me. My mother had a wistful look on her face, and I knew that she was thinking about Prim and me when were born. Peeta took dark-haired Rue in his arms, and I let him.

"I'm naming her after Primrose," I told my mother as I held the blonde baby. My mother nodded with tears in her eyes. I sat up and Peeta leaned down to kiss me as we held our children. "Now our whole family is together," I said. Peeta beamed at me as my mother hugged me, her embrace radiating true warmth for the first time in a long time.


	10. Special Brownies

_ **Peeta** _

Not long after Katniss had given birth and everything settled down after she moved into a new room, I called Delly to let her know that everything had gone well and to tell the kids that their baby sisters had been born. She was delighted to hear this, and I could hear Adara and Orion cheering loudly in the background as she shared the news with them. I chuckled, and Katniss asked me to let her speak to them, so I passed her the phone. She took it and began talking to them, telling them enthusiastically about the twins and how she couldn't wait for them to meet them. As she was speaking, two nurses walked into the room carrying the twins as they put each one in a crib.

"We've bathed them and the doctor has examined both," one of the nurses informed me with a smile. "They're very healthy, and they're both nice and clean now. They may sleep for a while, but your wife will have to feed them soon," she said, looking at Katniss, who was still on the phone.

I nodded. "I'll let her know, thank you," I replied politely as she took the other nurse with her, leaving us alone again. Katniss was now talking to Delly as I looked at the twins; they were both sleeping peacefully.

"Yes, Delly, the girls are gorgeous, and they each weighed six pounds and five ounces," she was saying. "In fact, they've just brought them back. Can you please bring the kids so they can see them? All right, good, I'm on the twelfth floor in room four. Yes, we'll be here. Thanks, Delly, I'll see you later!" she finished as she hung up and turned back to me. "Have you called Haymitch yet?" she asked me.

"Actually, he called me right before I called Delly. Don't ask me how, but he found out about all the people I ran over this morning, and he wanted to mock me. Oh, and then he congratulated us," I told her.

She frowned. "What did the nurses say?" she asked, changing the subject.

"She says the twins are fine, and that they might get hungry soon," I said as, just on cue, Rose began to cry, and Rue woke up and began to cry too. I handed Rue over to her and then held Rose.

"How are you going to feed them both?" I asked.

"Good question. Maybe we should call the nurse," she suggested, and so I did.

_ **Katniss** _

To my surprise, it was my mother who came in instead. She was carrying an interesting-looking pillow, saying that it was used for breastfeeding twins. "You're lucky I thought about getting you one of these," she told me as Peeta approached us with Rose still wailing in his arms. She then helped me unbutton my hospital gown and placed the pillow beneath my chest as she and Peeta placed a baby on each side it, their heads leaning towards each other as we tried to get them to latch on to my breasts. It took them a while, but soon they had the hang of it as they began to suckle my breasts. "You may also want to use a pump so that Peeta can feed them too," my mother suggested as the babies were feeding and Peeta gaped at me in awe.

But before I could tease him, the door opened and the kids burst in with Delly in tow.  
"Grandma!" they exclaimed excitedly as soon as they saw her, and she turned around and hugged them enthusiastically as they each gave her a kiss on the cheek. They then noticed the twins and gasped in astonishment. "Mommy, you're feeding  _both!_ " Adara exclaimed as she took a closer at her sisters and Orion climbed on the bed to give each one a kiss.

I grinned. "Yes, and they're very hungry," I said as Delly approached me.

"How are you feeling, Katniss?" was the first thing she asked as she smiled at me.

"I'm tired, but the twins are keeping my spirits up," I told her.

"Well, I better get back to work, but I'll come back to check up on you later, and I'll take a few weeks off to help you with the kids," my mother said as she was getting ready to leave the room.

"Thanks, Mom," I said earnestly as she smiled encouragingly at me and said goodbye to us before she closed the door behind her.

"I'm glad you're getting closer to her," Delly noted after my mother had left the room.

"She wants to be closer to her grandchildren," I explained. I looked over at Peeta. His eyes were transfixed on my breasts as the twins gulped the milk loudly. I rolled my eyes. He had no shame. At least Delly didn't seem to notice, since the kids were also staring at me; but that was only because they were so fascinated with the twins.

"Your babies are beautiful," Delly gushed.

"Thank you, Delly," I beamed proudly.

_ **Peeta** _

We went home after a few days, and even Haymitch had come to see the twins. He laughed at me when I told him about the double breastfeeding. Okay, so I was slightly jealous of the twins, but not in a bad way or anything. Just in a "babies are so lucky" kind of way. I had almost forgotten that Katniss preferred breastfeeding. It made me feel like I'd been lying to myself all along; here I was thinking she was all mine, and as soon as she starts breastfeeding, I realize my children were the true owners and I'll be lucky if they share. I thought about this as I baked a batch of brownies at the bakery; as soon as they were finished, I would go home and take them for dessert.

"Hey, boss, are you making special brownies?" Rye asked me curiously as I worked on the mix. Leven was working at the front counter as Rye frosted cakes.

I frowned. "What do you mean by 'special brownies,' Rye?" I asked.

He grinned. "Well, some of my friends go crazy and put drugs in them so that they can get high, but Leven and I aren't into that stuff, so we made up a new recipe that works just the same but without the pot," he explained.

My eyes widened. "What sorts of things do you put in them?" I inquired.

"Oh, you know… brown sugar and such. I can help you prepare it if you want. Your kids will be extremely hyper, but they'll crash faster, and at least you'll be able keep up with them if you have some too," he suggested. "It's really fun," he added.

I thought about that. Brownies would make them hyper already, so how much worse could it be? "My wife will kill me, though, and my mother-in-law will help her finish me off if she finds out. She's a doctor, and she already disapproves of all the bread I give the kids. She says it's bad for them," I explained.

Rye laughed. "Wow, all those women in your house will be the end of you, Mr. Mellark," he joked.

I sighed. "I guess you're right…oh what the heck. Let's bake these special brownies. Maybe it'll cheer up my wife, she's been tired and grouchy lately," I said.

Rye chuckled. "Sir, yes sir," he mocked. I rolled my eyes. If women didn't end me, my crazy employees would.

_ **Katniss** _

I was exhausted. The twins fed every two to three hours, and if it wasn't for my mother's help, I would never get anything done. As it was, she had dinner ready and we had the house cleaned and the babies asleep by the time Adara, Orion, and Peeta arrived home. Peeta was carrying a brown paper bag, which I presumed was the dessert I had asked him to bake this morning. We still had plenty of cheese buns, so he hadn't brought a batch of that home today. He had a mischievous grin on his face as the kids rushed into the house to get ready for dinner. I instantly knew he was up to something, but I didn't say anything, since my mother was there.

"Guess what I baked for dessert?" he asked the kids as we all settled down to eat at the table.

"Cupcakes?" Adara suggested hopefully. Peeta shook his head.

"Oreos?" Orion guessed. Peeta shook his head again.

"Pies?" Adara guessed again.

"Brownies," I said knowingly as Peeta winked at me.

"Good grief, this whole family is in danger of being diagnosed with Type Two Diabetes," my mother said disapprovingly. "Imagine if the kids were allergic to gluten!" she joked.

Peeta frowned and turned to me for help. "Mom, we don't feed them  _that_ much bread," I said defensively. "Peeta is a baker, and he likes pleasing the kids. Besides, I'm the one who asked him to bake brownies; I've been craving them for a while now," I said.

"Well, just be careful," she told me. "Orion, eat your broccoli, dear," she added. Orion wrinkled his nose in disgust, but obeyed. He knew his grandmother would not take no for an answer.

"Just think, the faster you finish your veggies, the faster we'll have dessert!" Peeta added encouragingly. My mother frowned at him, and he gulped. I looked down at my plate and tried hard not to laugh.

Soon, it was time for dessert, which my mother promptly turned down, saying that she would check on the twins and then retire early to bed. I nodded, telling her that Peeta would take the night shift today. Peeta gave me a panicked look. "Peeta, I have some milk in the refrigerator; you just need to heat it up and give it to the twins when they cry," I reassured him, and he seemed to relax.

"Daddy, these brownies are so good!" Adara said as she took a bite.

"Yummy brownies!" Orion added in agreement as I tried one myself. They  _were_ quite delectable. Peeta must have made up a new recipe. He gave us a knowing look. I wondered what he had put in them.

_ **Peeta** _

The kids went insane. They literally started bouncing off the walls as they giggled and ran around the house like a bunch of gremlins. I chased after them as Katniss tried to keep the twins under the control; she had to breastfeed them again so that they would go back to sleep. "Peeta, send the kids to bed, the twins will never rest with all this chaos!" she exclaimed.

"Daddy, look, me dance!" Orion said as he danced on the table. He pulled his pants down and mooned me. Okay, I did  _not_ teach him that….did I?

"Orion, get down from there!" I yelled at him as I carried him down.

"Daddy, I drew something!" Adara showed me a drawing of two stick figures holding hands, with hearts floating all over them. "It's me and Hunter!" she said shyly.

"Honey, you're too young for that," I said firmly. No daughter of mine would become a Hawthorne. "All right, that's it you two, time for bed; you have school tomorrow." I ordered. They groaned in protest as I led them to their bedrooms and made sure that they got ready for bed. I tucked them in, kissed them goodnight, and turned off the lights as they fell instantly asleep. At least Rye had been right about the crashing part.

I then went to bed, where Katniss was already waiting for me. I crawled in behind her as I pulled up the blankets and wrapped my arms around her. She smelled like babies and breast milk, but she was warm and soft against my body. I kissed her shoulder. "I miss you," I said hoarsely.

"Peeta, you know we have to wait forty days. Besides, I'm tired and sore. You don't know what it's like; everything hurts," she mumbled sleepily.

I sighed. "I know, and I understand. But did you at least like the brownies I made?" I asked her hopefully.

I could sense her smiling, even though it was dark and she wasn't facing me. "What did you put in them, Peeta?" she asked half accusingly, half teasingly.

"Some secret ingredient that Rye came up with," I responded playfully.

She tensed. "Are you serious? You fed our kids something that Rye made up?" she asked, annoyed.

"Don't worry, it's perfectly safe. Besides, they already crashed, and I just thought we could use some extra energy," I assured her as I wrapped my hand around her breast.

"Peeta," she moaned.

"Hmm?" I asked as I began to trail kisses down her spine.

"You're going to tempt me, and we can't do this," she whined. Just then, I heard the babies crying. "That's your cue," she said triumphantly. "You know what to do."

I groaned as I left her side and headed downstairs to retrieve the bottles. I opened up the refrigerator, and found numerous milk containers. How was I supposed to know which were the right ones? I shrugged as I picked up two small bottles and sipped them. The milk was thin and sweet, so I figured this was it.

"Peeta, what are you doing?" I heard Katniss ask suspiciously.

I flipped around in alarm and blushed. "Sorry, I just wasn't sure if it was the right milk. Wait, what are doing here, you're supposed to be in bed," I asked accusingly.

She crossed her arms in irritation. "You were taking too long. And stop drinking my breast milk; it's for Rose and Rue. I'll heat it up; you go upstairs and check up on them, I'll be right up," she ordered.

I snorted. "Why don't you just breastfeed them, since you're up? Or even better, you feed one, and I'll feed another. Poor babies, they just want your boobs," I shook my head sadly.

She glared at me. "Oh, shut up, Peeta. You're just jealous because you can't have any. And I'm sure they're not the only ones that want my boobs," she pointed out, looking down at my pants.

I looked down, wondering how I had gotten so excited. I grinned. "You know you want it, you know you want it, you know you want my bosco stick," I taunted as I thrust my hips.

She rolled her eyes, and we soon heard a loud wailing. Katniss gave me a look, and I took the hint and ran upstairs. The twins' room was across from ours, and they slept in the same crib, since it seemed to keep them happy. "There, there, Rue, Rue, Rue, Rue," I chanted as I picked her up. Rose was sucking her fist, looking angrily at me as Rue continued to cry. I checked her diaper, and, sure enough, she needed a change, so I put her back down beside Rose. As I was changing her diaper, Katniss walked in behind me and handed me a bottle while she picked up Rose. I picked up Rue without thinking, looking distractedly at Katniss as she lifted her shirt so that she could feed Rose while she sat on the rocking chair. Suddenly, I felt a warm liquid trail down my shirt as I realized that I had forgotten to put a diaper on Rue. Katniss looked at me and laughed.

"Nice going, Peeta. It looks like you're the one who needs to change and not her. Somebody had a little accident," she sang.

I flushed in embarrassment as I put Rue back down so that I could put a diaper on her. I then took my shirt off and tossed it aside as I picked her back up so that I could feed her with the bottle. But it was useless; she simply wasn't hungry, and so she kept crying, getting more and more upset each time.

"Katniss, what should I do?" I asked her desperately as I rocked furious Rue in my arms.

She hesitated. "I'm not sure, Peeta. She should be hungry. Keep trying to feed her the bottle." So I did, but she refused to take it. She kept turning her head away in frustration.

"She has your temper, Katniss," I noted.

Katniss frowned. "Maybe she just doesn't like the nipple; I mean, it's the same milk," she suggested.

"Do you have another one?" I asked.

She shook her head. "No, I don't," she said.

I smirked. "Then she probably wants  _your_  nipple, Katniss," I teased.

"Very funny, Peeta…but you're probably right, let me just finish feeding Rose," she said.

Just as I was about to protest, I felt something small and wet on my chest, and I looked down in surprise to see Rue sucking my peck. I pulled her away in astonishment, and she began to cry again, so I held her against my chest once more. Katniss burst out laughing.

"She likes your nipple too!" she exclaimed.

I grimaced, unsure what to make of this. "Katniss, I don't have any milk; this isn't fair to Rue," I protested, but she only laughed harder.

"I'm sorry Peeta; it's just that it's too funny! Here, how about we trade? You finish feeding Rose with the bottle, and I'll take Rue," she suggested. I nodded, so she then unlatched Rose away from her breast and took Rue instead. I gave Rose the bottle, and she took it just as willingly.

"Rose is nice, like me," I said as I grinned at her. Rose's blue eyes blinked sleepily in response.

"She reminds me of Prim," Katniss whispered softly as she fed Rue.

"And who does Rue remind you of?" I asked.

Katniss smiled fondly as she looked lovingly at Rue. "Rue loves music. Like me. And like the original Rue," she said, and then she began to sing the meadow song. " _Deep in the meadow, under the willow, A bed of grass, a soft green pillow, Lay down your head, and close your sleepy eyes, And when again they open, the sun will rise…"_ she trailed off as the twins instantly fell asleep and we placed them back on the crib, side by side.

_ **Katniss** _

Peeta's eyes began to water. "Peeta, are you crying?" I asked in astonishment.

"No," he lied as he broke down and sobbed. I looked at him in concern, wondering if I had five kids instead of four. I often wondered if I was Peeta's mother as well as his wife. But that was impossible. So how was it that I always had to be the strong one?

"Come on, Peeta, let's go to bed. We need to sleep, and we don't want to wake up the twins," I said. He nodded, and we headed as we headed to our bed, I asked him what was wrong.

"They're just so beautiful," he cried. "You, the babies, all of our children…it's just too much, Katniss, more than I could have ever asked for; I love you so much, you know that?" he said between tears as he laid down the bed and I tucked him in like a small child. I laid my head on his bare chest; his shirt had been forgotten in the twin's room.

"Peeta, I thought you  _wanted_ this," I reminded him.

"I did, I mean, I do. I just didn't imagine it would be this wonderful," he sobbed. I frowned, wondering if the "special brownies" had made him so sentimental.

"Peeta, are you sure this has nothing to do with what you put in those brownies?" I asked him skeptically.

"What? No! It can't be….could it? Are you doubting my love?" he asked, hurt.

"Oh no, of course not, Peeta, I would never do that! It is Rye's baking recipes that I don't trust. You don't usually have these breakdowns, and you know that the tracker jacker venom messes with your nerves," I said patiently.

"Katniss is it true that we're never having sex again?" he asked all of a sudden.

"What? Didn't you hear anything I just said?" I asked, annoyed.

"Yes, but at the hospital you said you wanted me to…" he began.

"Peeta, I was giving birth, of course I didn't mean that!" I interrupted him.

"Oh…can we at least mess around a little?" he begged.

I hesitated. "I don't know, Peeta, I'm not really in the mood, I just want to rest, you know?"

"Katniss, I'm not sure if I'll be able to handle this," he admitted.

"What do you mean? You've waited longer than this," I reminded him.

"Yes, but…this is different, I want you so much," he whispered. "It's like I'm dying of thirst in the middle of the ocean," he concluded sadly.

"Peeta, don't be so dramatic. Just think, only a month from today, and we'll be able to make love again," I said cheerfully, and with that, we drifted off to sleep.

_ **Peeta** _

One month later, I attacked her. Okay, not like that. I wasn't angry or anything. I had been keeping a calendar, counting down the days, waiting eagerly for my chance. And then, finally, that wonderful day arrived. The day my monster, sorry, my mother-in-law, left the house, and Katniss had recuperated from giving birth. She was in the shower, not knowing what was coming. It was early in the morning, and the kids were still asleep. I peeled off my clothes and climbed into the shower beside her. She was rinsing her hair, so she hadn't seen my coming.

"Come to finish me off, Sweetheart?" I murmured into her ear. She jumped as she turned towards me in shock.

"Peeta!" she yelled in surprise.

"Today is the day," I grinned.

"What?" she asked confused.

"The Hunger Games begin now, may the odds be ever in your favor," I announced dramatically, and I picked her up and wrapped her legs around my hips as the warm water ran down our skin.

"Peeta, what are you talking about, that's not funny," she protested.

"I know; I'm talking about  _our_ hunger games, Katniss. The hunger that you first felt when you kissed me in the cave when it was raining, remember when you told me about that?" I asked as I looked into her eyes.

"Yes," she breathed. "And at the beach too," she murmured.

I beamed triumphantly. "Well, now it's been twenty years later, and you still drive me crazy," I said as I leaned in to kiss her.

"Peeta," she gasped as she pushed me aside momentarily, "I still feel that hunger too."

"I know," I said. And with that, I thrust into her deeply as she cried out my name, again and again, until the warm water ran out and we lay exhausted and soaked on our bed sheets, watching the sun rise from our bedroom window. It was moments like these that made everything worth it.

_ **The End** _


End file.
